Former president Halimah Yacob named among world's most influential Muslims for 'strong international profile'

Former Singapore president, Halimah Yacob, has been named again on a list of the world's 500 most influential Muslims.

According to a ranking compiled by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan for 2025, Halimah was honoured for her "strong international profile" and also her contributions to social issues.

She first made an appearance in the list during her time as president in 2018, and previously received her highest ranking of 36th in 2022.

Has "strong international profile"

Halimah was among 450 names who received honourable mentions for various categories of influence.

While she did not make the top 50 this time round, she was honoured for her initiatives on social issues in Singapore.

According to the Muslim 500, which publishes the ranking, Halimah has a "strong international profile", demonstrated by her regular meetings with world leaders.

She was also commended for supporting a cohesive society, strengthening interfaith relations and recognising all workers who contribute to Singapore’s growth.

Her presidency, as Singapore's eighth and first female president, was also given a noteworthy mention.

Halimah was first mentioned in the list in 2018, one year after became president.

She placed 37th in 2021's ranking.

Under the top 50 rankings for 2025, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ranked 15th, while Indonesia's incoming president Prabowo Subianto ranked 18th.

Egyptian footballer and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah ranked 39th in the list.

First place went to Jordan's King Abdullah II Al-Hussein.

Other Singaporeans on the list

Other notable Singaporeans and Singaporean residents received honourable mentions for their various contributions, such as in law, politics, education and research in Singapore.

• Mohamed Faizal, Judicial Commissioner
• Syed Hassan Alattas (Habib Hassan), religious leader and teacher
• Zainul Abidin Rasheed, S'pore's ambassador to Kuwait
• Khairudin Aljunied, historian and lecturer at NUS
• Mustafa Izzuddin, writer, international analyst and senior lecturer at NUS
• Jackie Y Ying, nanotechnology scientist

Top photos via Halimah Yacob/Facebook