List of religious leaders in 2005

Note: It is important to mention Sunni Islam has no leaders as the term is understood in the Christian world. There is currently no caliph. Even when the caliphate was active it was not equivalent to a Sunni "Pope" or "Dalai Lama". In fact such a thing could well be deemed shirk in orthodox Sunni circles. The following people are mentioned to add Sunni content as they are leading figures.

Al-Azhar University - Muhammad Sayid Tantawy, Imam
Jerusalem - Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (As a Grand Mufti he has a degree of legal authority in Sunni Islam without being its leader)
Egypt - Shaikh Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Arab Republic of Egypt
Pakistan - Shaikh Rafi Usmani, Grand Mufti of Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Saudi Arabia - Shaikh Abdul-Azeez bin Abdullaa bin Muhammad Aal ash-Shaikh, Grand Mufti of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Tunisia - Shaikh Kamal-u-Din Ja'eit, Grand Mufti of Tunisia
Uzbekistan - Shaikh Abdurahman Bakhromov, Grand Mufti of Uzbekistan
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Shaikh Mustafa Ef. Cerić, Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Russia - Shaikh Ravil Gainutdin, Grand Mufti of Russian Federation
France - Shaikh Soheïb Bencheikh, Grand Mufti of France

[edit]

Islam: Ismaili, Ahmadiyya, and Druze

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community - Khalifatul Masih V (2003-present)
Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement - Dr. Abdul Karim Saeed Pasha (2002-present)
Dawoodi Bohras - Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (1965-present)
Nizari (Isma`ilia) - Aga Khan IV (1957-present)
Lebanese Druze - Walid Jumblatt, leading figure (Status as a part of Islam is highly disputed, more so than even with Ahmadiyya, but has Ismaili origins) - There is little official hierarchy in the religious community, except for the Shaykh al-'Aqel, whose role is more political and social rather than religious. The religious inner circle is called the uqqal and the elite of them are called ajawīd. The ajawīd represent approximately .2%-.4% of their population.

[edit]

Judaism

World Jewish Congress - Edgar M. Bronfman (1981-present)
Israel (Ashkenazi) - Yona Metzger, Chief Rabbi (2003-present)
Israel (Sephardic) - Shlomo Amar, Chief Rabbi (2003-present)
Turkey - Isak Haleva, Chief Rabbi (2002-present)
United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth - Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi(1991-present)
Israeli mitnagdim - Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Leader
Orthodox Union - Stephen J. Savitsky, President of Lay Leadership (2004-present); Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President
Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative Judaism) - Rabbi Perry Raphael Rank, President
Rabbinical Council of America (Orthodox Judaism) - Rabbi Dale Polakoff
Samaritan - Elazar ben Tsedaka, High Priest (2004-present)

Note: As with Islam these leaders may not necessarily have that much authority, it varies from group to group.

[edit]

Eastern

Tibetan Buddhism - Tenzin Gyatso, Dalai Lama (1935-present)
Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia - Preah Maha Ghosananda (1988-present)
Supreme Patriarch of Thailand- Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana (1989-present?)
Bön - Lungtok Tenpai Nyima
Chogye - Rev. Bub Jang
Sakya - Sakya Trizin, Ngawang Kunga Tegchen Palbar Samphel Wanggi Gyalpo (born 1935)
Nichiren Shoshu - High Priest Nikken Abe
Konkokyo - Konko Heiki, Spiritual Leader (1991-present)
Tendai - Most Venerable Eshin Watanabe, Patriarch of Tendai Buddhism
Shinto - Most Reverand Kuniaki Kuni is the Jingu Daiguji of the Grand Shrine of Ise (This does not make Kuniaki Kuni the leader of Shinto per se, but mentioned as a respected figure over arguably the holiest site in Shinto)