Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been named the 10th most influential Muslim in the 2026 edition of The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims, published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC), Jordan.
In the 2025 edition, Anwar was ranked 15th on the list. The five-place rise reflects international recognition of his leadership, as well as proving Malaysia’s position on the global stage.
Through the publication, Anwar was listed among the 50 most influential Muslim figures in the world, along with several other prominent leaders such as the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani who ranked first, the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud (8) and the President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto (15).
RISSC also reported that Anwar is now ranked seventh in the category of the most influential Muslim leaders and politicians in the world, up from 9th last year.
The increase also puts him ahead of Prabowo (10) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Al-Sisi (13).
The assessment was made based on the level of influence of Muslim figures, namely the ability to bring about significant changes in the Islamic world or among Muslims in terms of culture, ideology, finance, politics and others, whether with positive or negative impact.
The publication also mentioned that the Prime Minister played an important role in easing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, in addition to loudly voicing support for the struggle of the Palestinian people against the atrocities of the Israeli regime.
According to RISSC, the list of The Muslim 500: The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims, which was in collaboration with the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim‑Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, United States (US), divides figures into 15 categories of influence such as Science and Technology, Development, Arts and Culture, Women, Youth and others.
