Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is number five of world’s most influential Muslims according to issued list of most influential Muslim personalities.

The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World is a first of its kind published by the Prince Al-waleed Bin Talaal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding of Georgetown University, Washington DC in conjunction with the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan.

According to the list, Turkish Prime Minister is next after Saudi King Abdullah, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the King of Morocco Mohammed, and Jordan's King Abdullah.

Main criteria for listing were the influence of listed persons both in their own countries and on the world stage.

Twenty Turkish persons made the list including Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul (number 28) and U.S.-living Muslim preacher Fethullah Gülen (number 13).

Turkish papers say Erdogan is the only top-seeded leader who has been elected by democracy way. The Justice and Development Party, headed by Erdogan, was named as ‘aggressive adherent of the secular values with conservative-democratic slant’. Abdullah Gul was named as the ‘first Turkish president with Islamic past.’

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