President Halimah Yacob has been ranked No. 37 on a list of the world's 500 most influential Muslims, according to a ranking compiled by the Royal Islam Strategic Studies Centre (RSSC).

Halimah is the only Singaporean in the top 50 of the 2021 edition of the ranking, and has been featured on the list since 2018, a year after becoming Singapore's first woman President.

Rising up the ranks

According to RSSC, Halimah came from humble beginnings, being raised by her mother after her father passed away when she was eight years old.

The RSSC also noted Halimah's achievements as President.

"As President she has promoted initiatives for supporting a cohesive society, strengthening interfaith and recognising all workers who contribute to Singapore's growth," said RSSC.

Halimah rose to her current rank in the 2021 publication, up from 38th in the previous year.

Impact can be either positive or negative

The annual compilation of the world's most influential Muslims, which is in its 12th iteration, seeks to "ascertain the influence some Muslims have on this community, or on behalf of the community".

RSSC defined impact as any person who has "the power to make a change that will have a significant impact on the Muslim world or Muslims", although they acknowledged that the impact can be either positive or negative, depending on one's point of view.

The Top 50 members of the ranking is also dominated heavily by religious scholars and heads of states, with RSSC claiming that their "dominance and lasting influence cannot be denied".

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is ranked No. 1 on the list, up from No. 6 the previous year.

Other notable members of the Top 50 include President of Indonesia Joko Widodo (No. 12), Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan (No. 15) and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (No. 23).

Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, has dropped from the Top 50 list this year, after resigning from his position earlier this year.

He was previously ranked No. 42.

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Top image via Halimah Yacob/FB.