Ramiz Alia
Birth:1925
Death:2011
Last communist president of Albania.
The successor of Albania's Communist dictator Enver Hoxha after his death in 1985, Ramiz Alia presided over halting often, chaotic moves towards democracy, in his country of three million people, before his own downfall in 1992.
During his presidency Alia responded to ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Recaizade Mahmud EKram
Birth:1847
Death:1914
A Turkish writer.
After the Turk revolution in 1908, Ekram held several important government posts.
Ekram was greatly influenced by Namiq Kamal, the famous Turkish poet. He authored Talim I Abdiyat and Tafakkur and translated some French works into Turkish. He was one of the most ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rizaeddin Fakhreddin
Birth:1859
Death:1936
A Russian Islamic scholar, writer and journalist.
Fakhreddin was the editor of Vaqt a Muslim newspaper in 1906 and in 1908 the chief editor of Shura (Council). He authored over sixty books on Islamic history, biographies of famous Muslims, education, reform, theology, jurisprudence, social and political problems ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashid Al Ghannoushi
Birth:1941
Death:
Leader of Tunisia's Islamic movement.
Widely considered to be a radical in his native Tunisia but elsewhere Sheikh Rashid Ghannoushi has been hailed as a proponent of Islamic democracy and pluralism.
After returning from France to Tunisia Ghannoushi became active in Islamic missionary and social ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashidi Mfaume Kawawa
Birth:1929
Death:
A Tanzanian political leader. After independence he was prime minister in 1962 and 1972-77.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rafi Ahmad Kidwai
Birth:1894
Death:1954
Politician.
Rafi Ahmad was the Communication Minister of India in 1947 and who initiated night air mail postal services, popularised own your own telephone exchange and made paid holiday available for postmen. As Food minister in 1952 he solved the food problem in such a way that ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashid Ibn Saeed Al Maktoum
Birth:1910
Death:1990
The creator of modern Dubai.
Maktum was vice president and prime minister (1979-90). In 1971 after the British left, Rashid and his relative by marriage Sheikh Zaid ibn Sultan al Nahyan of neighbouring Abu Dhabi laid the groundwork for a federation and named it United Arab ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rabah Bitat
Birth:1925
Death:2000
Resistance fighter.
Bitat was one of the founders of Algerian independence, so called six historiques who planned insurrection at a meeting in June 1954. Bitat was convinced that violent revolution against France was a necessity to gain independence.
Rabah Bitat was born in the village of ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rabia Al Basri
Birth:713
Death:801
The fourth daughter of Ismail al-Adawiya. She attained great fame as a saint and was highly esteemed for her piety. She remained a lifelong celibate. Her tomb is near Jerusalem.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rabih Az Zubair
Birth:
Death:1900
A military leader of Chad.
Rabih was in service of Az-Zubair Pasha, Sudanese prince. In 1878 the Sudanese prince rebelled against the Egyptians. Rabih proved loyal to Az-Zubair but was defeated. He fled to central Africa. By 1890, he was able to gather enough support and in 1893 ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rachid Koraichi
Birth:1947
Death:
An Algerian artist of the modern calligraphic school of Islamic painting and graphics, exploring the potential of abstract calligraphic compositions to great effect.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rahman Baba
Birth:1650
Death:1715
He was called 'Hafiz Shirazi' of Pushto Sufi poetry.
Rahman Baba had a deep understanding of different disciplines including theology, philosophy and history and was well-versed in the Arabic and Persian languages. He was a practising Sufi but there is no evidence to show that ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rana Liaquat Ali Khan
Birth:1905
Death:1990
Rana was the wife of Liaquat Ali Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan who was assassinated in 1951.
Rana was the founder of APWA (All Pakistan Women Association) and ambassador of Pakistan to Holland, Italy and Tunisia (1954-66)
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi
Birth:1829
Death:1905
Co-founder of Madrasa Deoband in 1866, along with Qasim Nanautovi, after whose death, Rashid Gangohi added post of a Mufti in 1892, who supervised the issuing of fatwas. By the end of 19th century 269,215 fatwas had been issued, which earned the institution a reputation of authority.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashid Ahmad Siddiqui
Birth:
Death:2000
A Muslim activist of Muslim Aid and UK Islamic Mission in Britain.
Rashid migrated to the UK in 1964. Rashid was born in Bijnor, India and died of a heart attack in London.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rashid Ali Al Gaylani
Birth:1892
Death:1965
Prime minister of Iraq 1933, 1936-38, 1940-41. He was expelled by the British in 1941 and died in exile.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashid Raza Muhammad
Birth:1865
Death:1935
A Syrian scholar.
The writing of Muhammad Abduh and Jamaluddin Afghani profoundly influenced Rashid. He also wrote Muhammad Abduh's biography, and was the founder editor of al-Manar in 1898.
Rashid believed in the positive effort to improve the material conditions of the Muslims and urged to ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashiduddin
Birth:1247
Death:1318
The Iranian historian.
Rashiddin was the author of the celebrated history book, Jami al Tawarikh, which contained very informative chapters about the social and economic conditions of Islamic countries under Ghazan during 1295-1304.
Rashiduddin joined the court of the Mongol ruler of Iran and became ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashiduddin Sinan
Birth:1135
Death:1192
A leader of Syrian Assassins at the time of the third crusade. He attempted on the life of Saladin, who was opposed to his sect.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Reza Abbasi
Birth:c1570
Death:c1635
The Iranian painter at the time of Shah Abbas I the great.
His father was at the court of the Saffavid prince at Mashhed, the cultural centre of Iran during (1556-77). 1596 regarded Reza as having no rival. His style had an indelible influence on the ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Reza Shah Pahlavi
Birth:1877
Death:1944
An Iranian Shah.
An army officer who tried to modernise the ancient Persian monarchy, Reza Shah came from a military background and rose rapidly from the rank to command the Persian Cossack Brigade after the First World War. In 1921 with other reformers, he seized power ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Riad Mahmud
Birth:1917
Death:1992
An Egyptian diplomat and soldier.
Riad participated in the overthrow of King Farooq and became a confidant of President Nasser. He served as an ambassador to Syria (1955-58), representative to the U.N. (1962-64) and foreign minister (1964-72) and from 1979 he was secretary general of ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Riadh El Droubie
Birth:1935
Death:1998
Muslim activist.
Riadh's work as administrator at London's Islamic Cultural Centre involved publications, interpretation and translation of Arabic into English. He set up Minaret House, a publishing outfit.
Riadh was born in Iraq and spent his active life in Britain.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rudolf Nureyev
Birth:1938
Death:1993
A Russian ballet dancer.
In 1961, Nureyev was chosen to go to London and Paris with the Kirov Ballet. He decided to stay in the West and in 1961 he made his first appearance with a Western company in the ballet: The Sleeping Beauty. Margot Fonteyn the ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Ruknuddaula
Birth:
Death:976
The brother of Imaduddaula Ali Boya, the founder of the Boyid dynasty, whom he succeeded on the throne of Fars and Iran in 949. He reigned for about forty-four years.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rashid Ahmad Siddiqi
Birth:1896
Death:1977
Professor, author and critic of Urdu. His works included Ganj hai Giran Maya, Mazamin-e-Rashid etc.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Riffah Al Tahtawi
Birth:1801
Death:1873
Egyptian scholar.
Al-Tahtawi was an Egyptian scholar who described his appreciation of European society in his published diary, was responsible for the translation of European books into Arabic, and who promoted the idea of modernisation in Egypt.
Al-Tahtawi went to Paris in 1826 as a religious ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Rachid Abou Tourab
Birth:
Death:2002
Political leader. He was made leader of the anti-government party, Armed Islamic Group (GIA), in 2001. GIA was originally formed after the Algerian military cancelled 1992 legislative elections to prevent an Islamic party from winning.
He died in a military sting operation in Tamezguida Forest, Algeria.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rachid Boudjedra
Birth:1941
Death:
A revolutionary Algerian writer.
Boudjedra was the leader of a new movement of experimental fiction. He studied at Sorbonne, Paris, from where he got a degree in philosophy. His works included La Repudiation, La Insolation, Topographie Ideal e Pourune Aggression Caracterises Lescargot Entete, Les 1001 Anees ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Birth:1954
Death:
Turkey's builder of bridges, politician.
Nearly a decade since it was first elected, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP government can claim credit for rising domestic wealth and world influence.
He has frogmarched his country through a series of often controversial political, social and economic ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Radia Nasraoui
Birth:1953
Death:
Human rights activist.
Mrs Nasraoui's daily struggle has been fending off harassment at the cost of her own well-being, for more than a decade. The human rights lawyer has fought relentlessly against torture, arbitrary arrests and unfair imprisonment in Tunisia.
Her dedication has won her ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rasheed Jahan
Birth:1905
Death:1952
India's feminist activist
Doctor, short story writer, social worker and feminist activist, Rasheed Jahan detested the hypocrisy and so-called morality that existed in the society.
Being a female gynaecologist and obstetrician, she ruthlessly exposed the double standards and ostentatious religiosity, and in particular, male chauvinism ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Riza Al Din
Birth:20th century
Death:
When Barudi died in 1921, Riza al Din was elected in his place as Mufti. He was one of the most distinguished Russian Muslim, as a scholar, a historian and a writer.
Riza al-Din was born Fakhr al-Din.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin
Roger Garaudy
Birth:1913
Death:2012
A former French Communist leader, philosopher and convert to Islam.
Served in the French parliament as a Communist deputy and senator, Roger Garaudy was known within his party hierarchy as 'the Cardinal' both for his sense of authority and his attraction towards the Church. He ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rasul Gamzatov
Birth:1923
Death:2003
People's poet of Daghestan.
Rasul Gamzatov's published his first book of poems, Love Inspired and Fiery Wrath, in 1934. He wrote dozens of love lyrics, long narrative poems, ballads, epigrams and philosophical octaves, books and translations in the Avar and Russian languages, such as Caranes, Tales, ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Ruslan Gelayev
Birth:1964
Death:2004
Chechen freedom fighter.
Gelayev became deputy prime minister, in 1997, and the following year defence minister - essentially he continued as a filed commander. He shuttled between Chechnya, Dagestan, and the Chechen populated Pankisi Gorge in north-eastern Georgia, where he settled in summer of 2000.
Ruslan Gelayev, ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rachid Taha
Birth:1958
Death:
Musician whose songs have flavours with Algerian spice and sharp, topical lyrics.
Franco-Algerian singer Rachid Taha's politically charged pop, eastern soul gets a Western beat. Taha's CD on Rock the Casbah (2005) that gained a wide audience answer the provocative question posed by the title track, ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Raja of Mahmoodabad
Birth:1914
Death:1973
Humility and simplicity were the hallmark of his personality.
Although of princely descent, Raja of Mahmoodabad opted for an unostentatious lifestyle once he came out of his adolescence. He was a deeply religious man who shared food with commoners and washed his own plates.
Willingly ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rafiq Hariri
Birth:1944
Death:2005
Rags to riches Lebanese leader who put faith in healing power of business.
Rafiq, former Lebanese prime minister believed the Lebanese could recover from civil war and foreign invasion through emulating their forebears, the great traders of the ancient world. He contributed to financing the ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rafiq Zakaria
Birth:1926
Death:2005
India's distinguished writer and commentator.
Rafiq Zakaria, scholar on Indian politics, was closely associated with his country's freedom struggle and had spent over 25 years in public service as a Cabinet Minister and then a deputy leader of the Congress party. He also represented India abroad, ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Riazul Islam
Birth:1919
Death:2007
Pakistan's renowned historian
Having spent twenty-six years of life to the University of Karachi, Dr Islam who had two PhDs in history from Aligarh (1946) and Cambridge (1956) universities, was the only professor emeritus.
He authored many books, besides research articles. His books, 'Sufism in South Asia' ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rachida Dati
Birth:1965
Death:
The first Muslim to hold high political office in France.
In a country that has several million Muslims but not a single Muslim member of parliament, Rachida is the first such a figure to hold senior ministerial office in France.
She was trained as a ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Ramzan Sahin
Birth:1980
Death:
Turkey's 2008 Olympian.
He won gold medal in Freestyle 66kg in Beijing 2008 Olympic.
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rashid Ramzi
Birth:1979
Death:
Bahrain's 2008 Olympian.
Ramzi gave Bahrain its first-ever Olympic track and field gold medal. The Moroccan-born Ramzi won the 1500m in 3 min 32.94 seconds in Beijing 2008 Olympic.
In 2005, he became the first athlete in history to win gold medals in the 800m and 1500m in the same ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Randa Chahal Sabbag
Birth:1953
Death:2008
Lebanese film-maker and screenwriter
Better known outside Lebanon for her documentary and feature films Chahal's subjects, for the most part, centred on the tiny and politically troubled Mediterranean country of her birth.
Her work gained numerous international prizes, most recently the 2003 Silver Lion at the ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rabia Balkhi
Birth:c914
Death:
Persian poet
Rabia Balkhi, whose life inspired the eponymous film, was most likely the first female Persian poet and a queen. Her influence prevails in Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan.
Kabul's Rabia Balkhi Hospital for women was built in 2003 and named after the country's first and ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Reza Seyed Hosseini
Birth:1926
Death:2009
Iranian literary critic
A prominent Iranian critic and translator Reza Seyed Hosseini was instrumental in introducing western literature to Persian-speaking readers.
In his long career Reza translated works by western writers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Thomas Mann and Marguerite Duras into Persian. His most ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rabiya Kadeer
Birth:1948
Death:
Mother of all Uighurs
The exiled Uighur activist Rabiya Kadeer at the height of her wealth and influence, in the early 1990s, was considered the most astute and successful woman in China.
Celebrated and accorded high political office by China's Communist Party rulers who distrusted ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Riad El Solh
Birth:1894
Death:1951
The first prime minister of Lebanon
The first prime minister of Lebanon (1943-45), after the country's independence Riad el-Solh served again in the same position from 1946 to 1951.
Known as one of the most important personalities in Lebanon Riad el-Solh was able to unify his country's ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rauf Denktash
Birth:1924
Death:2012
Leader of Turkish Cypriots
The former leader of the Turkish minority in Cyprus, Rauf Denktash successfully opposed reunification of that divided Mediterranean island in his resolute pursuit of a separate state for his people.
In a country split along ethnic and religious lines since 1974, when ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Rached Ghannouchi
Birth:1941
Death:
Tunisian scholar and politician
The Tunisian scholar and politician Rached Ghannouchi returned home, in 2011, from a decades-long European exile after the Arab spring toppled Tunisia's dictator. He offered a vision of a moderate, modern and inclusive political movement.
He co-founded the Ennahda Movement, currently the ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Roquia Sakhawat Hussain
Birth:1880
Death:1932
Bengali writer and activist
A prolific writer and a social worker in Bengal in the early 20th century, Roquia Sakhawat Hussain is famous for her efforts on behalf of gender equality and other social issues.
A notable feminist Roquia established the first school aimed at ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Raza Ali Abidi
Birth:1936
Death:
Broadcaster, journalist and author
Broadcaster, journalist and author Raza Ali Abidi's published works include travelogues, children's stories and literary books besides several collections of cultural essays. He is known for his radio documentaries on the Grand Trunk Road and the Indus River.
There is one ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Raha Moharrak
Birth:1988
Death:
Scaled Mount Everest
Raha Moharrak successfully scaled Mount Everest on 18 May 2013. Approaching from Nepal's side of the mountain, Moharrak was one of 64 climbers who reached the peak after climbing all night from the highest camp, the same starting point pioneers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan
Radwa Ashour
Birth:1946
Death:2014
Egyptian writer and academic
A writer of exceptional courage and integrity Radwa Ashour reflected her country's history in her work. Through a series of her novels, memoirs, and literary studies she recorded the unending turbulence of her times including the struggle for freedom, from the ...
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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan