The World's Most Influential Arabs
It's that time of the year again - the publication of the most anticipated list in the Arab world, the Power List. Who's got it, who's lost it, and who wants it: our definitive guide to Arab power.
Our highest new entry is Al Jazeera boss Wadah Khanfar. Not only is Al Jazeera now the world's best-known Arab news brand, we also felt that Khanfar's daily decisions on what to broadcast now affect the opinions of hundreds of millions of people. Many of our experts felt that Khanfar deserves to be top of the list - he may well be next year. The second highest new entry is at No.4, the controversial filmmaker Hany Abu Assad, who we felt has taken the Arab movie industry by storm and crossed cultural boundaries with his work. Again, his work is influencing the opinions of millions around the world, hence his position. The highest "entertainer" on the list is Amr Diab, the Egyptian singer. Straight in at No.38, our panel of experts felt that Diab's every word and action now has the ability to influence his millions of fans - and his record sales are impressive too.
This year also sees a record 19 women on the list, a clear sign that female power is growing in the Arab world. Indeed it is Shamsa Noor Ali Rashid, boss of female investment fund Forsa that props up the list at No.100.
No doubt, as it happens every year, our phones will be ringing all week with readers complaining they are either not on the list, or that the positioning is ‘wrong'. This list is meant as a guide. We value all comments that are likely to come our way and will take them on board for next year's list.
Power list - your say
* Reporting team: Anil Bhoyrul, James Bennett, Edward Poultney, Anees Dayoub, Bashar Bagh, Hassan Abdul Rahman, Tamara Walid, Andrew White, Melissa Hancock, Andrew Mernin, Edward Liamzon.
Our highest new entry is Al Jazeera boss Wadah Khanfar. Not only is Al Jazeera now the world's best-known Arab news brand, we also felt that Khanfar's daily decisions on what to broadcast now affect the opinions of hundreds of millions of people. Many of our experts felt that Khanfar deserves to be top of the list - he may well be next year. The second highest new entry is at No.4, the controversial filmmaker Hany Abu Assad, who we felt has taken the Arab movie industry by storm and crossed cultural boundaries with his work. Again, his work is influencing the opinions of millions around the world, hence his position. The highest "entertainer" on the list is Amr Diab, the Egyptian singer. Straight in at No.38, our panel of experts felt that Diab's every word and action now has the ability to influence his millions of fans - and his record sales are impressive too.
This year also sees a record 19 women on the list, a clear sign that female power is growing in the Arab world. Indeed it is Shamsa Noor Ali Rashid, boss of female investment fund Forsa that props up the list at No.100.
No doubt, as it happens every year, our phones will be ringing all week with readers complaining they are either not on the list, or that the positioning is ‘wrong'. This list is meant as a guide. We value all comments that are likely to come our way and will take them on board for next year's list.
Power list - your say
* Reporting team: Anil Bhoyrul, James Bennett, Edward Poultney, Anees Dayoub, Bashar Bagh, Hassan Abdul Rahman, Tamara Walid, Andrew White, Melissa Hancock, Andrew Mernin, Edward Liamzon.