Mirwaiz again among world’s 500 most influential Muslims

AMMAN, JORDAN: All Parties Hurriyat Conference senior leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has once again been featured among the world’s 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC), an independent research entity based in Amman, Jordan.

The RISSC, in its 2025 edition of The Muslim 500, acknowledged the Mirwaiz’s continued efforts toward promoting peace, dialogue, and reconciliation. The publication also named the men and women of Gaza as its “Persons of the Year,” recognizing their courage, resilience, and steadfastness amid ongoing suffering.

The RISSC report recalls that Dr Umar Farooq, the 14th Mirwaiz of Kashmir, assumed the mantle of religious leadership in 1990 at the age of 17 after the assassination of his father, Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq. By the age of 20, he had founded and become the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), which advocates peaceful dialogue for the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

It notes that despite being under house arrest for more than four years following August 2019, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has remained a “key voice for Kashmir,” working to bridge religious leadership with human rights advocacy and regional diplomacy. His inclusion in the list, the report adds, highlights his spiritual, social, and political influence and his steadfast commitment to peace, interfaith understanding, and justice. This marks yet another international acknowledgment of the Mirwaiz’s role in advancing dialogue and non-violence in a region long marked by conflict. Monitoring Desk