Posts by multiple users on social media platform ‘. However, Imran did not make the top 50 and was included as an honorable mention.
The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center (RISSC) is a research institute based in Amman, Jordan. It has been publishing an annual report titled ‘The 500 Most Influential Muslims’ since 2009, recognizing and highlighting people who have made significant contributions to Muslim communities.
It also includes an “Honorable Mentions” section, featuring notable people who may not have made the main list but are still influential in their own right. These mentions are often seen more as a gesture of recognition than a formal ranking.
On January 3, Pakistani Sikh journalist Harmeet Singh shared a screenshot of the “Top 50 and Honorable Mentions Listed by Category” section of ‘The Muslim 500’ report for 2025.
The post carried the title: “The Royal Center for Islamic Strategy, a Jordanian organization, ranked Imran Khan 24th on its list of the 500 most influential Muslim people in the world by 2025. While Imran Khan remains in prison.”
The publication obtained 92,700 visits.
Journalist Jameel Farooqui shared a similar statement and racked up 15,000 views.
An account highlighting trends in entertainment and news also shared the claim with the caption: “Imran Khan honored as one of the 25 most influential Muslims.”
The post was viewed by 115,700 users and shared 2,000 times.
PTI West Punjab wing’s official The list includes kings of several Arab countries, including the Saudi crown prince. Only Imran Khan is from Pakistan. Imran Khan is an influential personality even though he is in prison. Samina Pacha.”
Other users widely shared the same statement, as can be seen here, here, here, here and here.
Meanwhile, former PTI propagandist turned critic Farhan Virk claimed otherwise and said, “Another PTI fraud exposed! After seeing this tweet, I downloaded the full 2025 edition and Imran Khan’s name is not among the first 50 names. From Pakistan, the names are Mufti Taqi Usmani and Maulana Tariq Jameel. “They are falsifying by putting a photo of the previous edition.”
His post got 63,600 views and other anti-PTI users also shared the same statement.
A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and high public interest in news related to Imran.
Verification of the 2025 edition showed that contrary to claims by pro- and anti-PTI posts, Imran was in fact listed as number 24 in the list of honorable mentions for rulers and politicians, but was not part of the 50 top personalities ranked.
Describing how the top 50 list and honorable mentions worked, the list said: “The top 50 people are ranked and listed first. The remaining 450 names are listed (not ranked) in influential categories, and a small number are also chosen to be in our honorable mentions section to value notable contributions made to their fields.”
Therefore, Imran was listed at number 24 in the honorable mentions for rulers and politicians and not number 24. He was also not part of the top 50 list, which is in fact ranked.
Therefore, fact checking determined that the claim that Imran was ranked 24th in the list of 500 most influential Muslims by 2025 is misleading. The imprisoned politician does not appear on the main list of the top 50, but instead appears in the “Honorable Mentions” section of the report for rulers and politicians at number 24. The report clarifies that, unlike the top 50 ranking, The order of appearance in the honorable mention sections is unimportant.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan, a project of CEJ and UNDP.
