Tareque Rahman Included in List of 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Tareque Rahman, has been included in the list of the 500 most influential Muslim personalities in the world. The Jordan-based Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC) included his name for the first time in its 2027 edition. Also featured on the same list from Bangladesh are two other women human rights activists — Dr. Hamida Hossain and Razia Sultana.

Tareque Rahman was listed in the ‘Political Personalities’ section of the recently published 18th annual edition of ‘The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims’ for 2027. The list highlights his political identity, leadership, and role in Bangladesh’s politics.

The publication describes Tareque Rahman as a prominent Bangladeshi politician. He currently serves as the country’s Prime Minister and is the Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He is the son of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

According to the publication, Tareque Rahman led the BNP’s leadership and organizational activities for a long 17 years while in exile in London. He returned to Bangladesh in December 2025, following the political changes brought about by the mass uprising of 2024.

Subsequently, under his leadership, the BNP won a two-thirds majority in the general election held on February 12, 2026. The party returned to state power after a long hiatus. Tareque Rahman was sworn in as Prime Minister on February 17, 2026, marking the end of the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Two More Bangladeshi Women on the List

In addition to Tareque Rahman, two Bangladeshi women have been included in the 2027 list: prominent human rights activist Dr. Hamida Hossain and lawyer Razia Sultana. Both have been featured in the ‘Social Issues’ category.

Dr. Hamida Hossain is a renowned human rights activist and researcher, and a co-founder of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). She is recognized internationally for her long-standing role in establishing women’s rights, human rights, and democratic values. Her name has been included in this list before.

On the other hand, Razia Sultana is a lawyer and human rights activist. She is known for her work on the Rohingya crisis, protecting the rights of refugee women and children, and establishing justice at the international level.

Muhammad Yunus Was on the Previous List

In the previous 2026 edition, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, former Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, was ranked 50th among the world’s top 50 influential Muslim personalities. However, his name has not been included in the new 2027 edition.

How the List of Influential Muslims is Compiled

According to the publication’s information, the list is compiled by considering the ability of individuals to exert political, ideological, cultural, and economic influence over the world’s nearly 2.2 billion Muslim population.

According to the specific rules of the list, only the first 50 individuals are ranked from 1 to 50. The remaining 450 individuals are not assigned specific positions or rankings. Instead, they are categorized into 13 distinct divisions, including politics, theology, social services, business, science, and culture.

In the 2027 edition, all three Bangladeshis have been placed in this unranked list of 450 individuals.

The post Tareque Rahman Included in List of 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World appeared first on Bangla Online News Portal.