Georgetown Imam Ranked Among Most Influential Muslims

Imam Yahya Hendi, a Georgetown chaplain, was named one of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims for his work as an interfaith dialog activist Tuesday.

The list is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, a research organization affiliated with the Royal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman, Jordan. The Muslim 500 identifies 500 individuals whose work has significantly influenced the Muslim community.

“Imam Hendi was designated to be one of the most influential Muslim leaders of the world for his strong interfaith dialog activities, seeking to bring the three Abrahamic religions closer together by focusing on the commonalities instead of the differences,” the report read.

Hendi was the first full-time Muslim chaplain at a U.S. university and he is the founder of nonprofit organization Clergy Without Borders.

Hendi was listed under that category Administration of Religious Affairs. This is the first year he was featured in the annual report.