Jordan’s Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre named Prime Minister Imran Khan the ‘Muslim Man of The Year‘ in the recent list of influential Muslim personalities worldwide. Premier Khan’s influence in the world has soared following his maiden appearance at the 74th United Nations General Assembly convention last month.
“If The Muslim 500 was in print back in 1992 and I was the Chief Editor then, I would have nominated Imran Khan as our Muslim Man of the Year because of his brilliant performance in cricket, which culminated in Pakistan winning the 1992 Cricket World Cup — a sport I have always admired for its combination of elegance and intense competitive play,” said Professor S Abdallah Schleifer, a professor emeritus of journalism at the American University in Cairo, who chose both the winners for the titles.
The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre has honoured Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI as its “Man of the Year” in its publication “The Muslim 500” #PakistanZindabad #ImranKhan pic.twitter.com/F29z8F9d28
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) October 9, 2019
Professor Abdallah asserted that his 1992 World Cup triumph was not the only factor that merited him the title, but his tireless efforts for the construction of a charity hospital for cancer patients and ceaseless calls to India for lasting peace bestowed him a significant spot in the list.
He lauded the sensitivity of PM Khan towards cancer patients following the demise of his mother to cancer in 1985. Given Imran’s extraordinary popularity with Pakistanis both at home as well as among a large number of Pakistani expats, the professor recalled his arduous efforts, which opened the door of the first Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in 1994 in Lahore, where 75% of the patients receive free care.
PM Khan’s speech has become the highest-watched UNGA speech on YouTube.
The report recounted Imran Khan’s struggle for 22 years to build up an opposition party to confront the civilian political establishment and embedded corruption in the country.
Professor Abdallah mentioned PM Khan’s first address after taking the office, in which he sent out imperative messages of lasting peace to India, emphasizing his ambition of restoring peaceful relations with India for collective development. He wanted to stabilize trade and settle the Kashmir issue through dialogue.
Professor Abdallah, however, remarked that ‘Imran ‘s greatest dilemma is the imposition of BJP-led ultra-nationalistic government at the helm of affairs in India, who ‘have neither interest nor need to make a lasting peace with Pakistan, and against whom any form of war would be hopeless.’
It's indeed an honor for Pakistan as Jordan’s Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center named Imran Khan as ‘Man of the Year'. Khan is not only a true ambassador of Kashmir but also conveying the right message of our beloved Prophet Mohammad ﷺ
to the Worldhttps://t.co/vNieKIxIO2— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) October 9, 2019
Heightened Popularity
The report came a day after it emerged that Pakistan’s premier Imran Khan is the sixth-most followed leader on Twitter in the world, with 10.5 million followers.
His impassioned speech at UNGA and hard-hitting, crisp statements on different occasions in the various interactions at the sidelines of the UNGA earned him massive popularity both at home and abroad.
Premier Khan was already declared the second-most searched UNGA leader on Google, his popularity had peaked even before his formal address to UNGA scheduled on Friday, 27th September 2019.
Jordan’s Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center named Prime Minister Imran Khan as its ‘Man of the Year’ in its recent list of the most persuasive Muslims in the world. pic.twitter.com/O0VAlMzz7M
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) October 8, 2019
His powerful speech had a comprehensive analysis of catastrophic human plight unfolding in Kashmir following the siege in the valley for more than 60 days now. He shed the light on the rising religious extremism in India, which is swiftly diluting its status of a secular state. He also jostled the world’s attention to a systematic campaign of Islamophobia, targeting and disparaging Muslims globally.
Read more: PM Imran Khan second most searched UNGA leader, beats PM Modi
Following his speech, acclaimed Islamic scholars worldwide hailed him for ardently presenting the case of vilifying Muslims as terrorists in western media, and the emergence of deliberate blasphemous content to hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims around the globe.
Earlier, Former South African golfer and career Grand Slam Winner Gary Player praised Prime Minister Imran Khan and described him as a hero in a video message posted by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Twitter account.
PM Khan’s speech has become the highest-watched UNGA speech on YouTube. While the speech of other heads of states garnered 1.5k to 3k views on average, PM Khan’s speech achieved unprecedented popularity with 426k views.
Jordan’s Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center named Prime Minister Imran Khan as its ‘Man of the Year’ in its recent list of the most persuasive Muslims in the world. @ImranKhanPTI desire for peace with neighboring India earned him the title 🇵🇰https://t.co/OVflHmiWmk pic.twitter.com/IM6hbaaHx2
— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 8, 2019
Undeniably a magnetic crowd-puller, a flawless orator, PM Khan is determined to sail through the domestic and foreign challenges to accomplish his visions.