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President Halimah Yacob is ranked 36th on a list of the world's 500 most influential Muslims, according to a ranking compiled by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre for 2022.

This is the highest ranking Halimah has received since she first made an appearance on the list in 2018, a year after she became president in 2017.

She was ranked 37th in the 2021 ranking.

Only Singaporean in top 50

Halimah is the only Singaporean who made it within the top 50.

She is also one of two women who made it into the top 50 this year, the other being Syria's Munira Qubeysi.

Halimah also ranked higher than most Southeast Asian world leaders, barring Indonesian president Joko Widodo, who came in 13th.

Malaysian politicians Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad received honourable mentions, while former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin did not feature on the list.

First place went to the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who had the most influence as the "ruler of richest country per capita in the world".

Halimah has a "strong international profile"

The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre's citation noted that Halimah was both Singapore's first female president, as well as Singapore's first female Speaker of Parliament.

She was recognised for promoting "initiatives for supporting a cohesive society, strengthening interfaith and recognising all workers who contribute to Singapore's growth".

Halimah was said to have a "strong international profile, regularly meeting world leaders".

Other Singaporeans on the list

Three other Singaporeans received honourable mentions.

Syed Hassan Al-Attas

Syed sits on the Presidential Committee of Minority Rights, according toThe Straits Times (ST). He was recognised for being a "pillar of strength and unity" and building religious harmony in Singapore.

Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Abdul Kadir

Faizal is a deputy chief prosecutor and senior state counsel at the Attorney-General's Chambers, according to ST.

He is the only Malay-Muslim senior counsel in Singapore and is recognised for promoting educational initiatives and conceiving scholarship programmes for lower-income students.

Zainul Abidin Rasheed

Zainul is Singapore's ambassador to Kuwait and Special Envoy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Middle East.

He is recognised for fostering Singapore's diplomatic relations with the Muslim world, and for representing Singapore's Muslim community.

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Top photo via Halimah Yacob/FB