King Abdullah has been placed sixth in the list of 70 people topped by US President Barack Obama. Last year King Abdullah came third while he was in the ninth position in 2009.
The magazine praised King Abdullah’s reforms in the Kingdom, including granting women the right to vote in local elections and efforts to modernize the nation's educational system.
Since ascending the throne in 2005, King Abdullah has made development a central focus of his reign. He has initiated a range of major economic, social, education, health, and infrastructure projects that have brought about remarkable changes throughout the Kingdom.
King Abdullah’s notable achievements in this area include the launch of four mega economic cities, the creation of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University for Women, projects to expand the Two Holy Mosques and major welfare initiatives.
He also approved a historic reorganization of Saudi Arabia’s judicial system and enacted laws to formalize the royal succession.
King Abdullah took the initiative to promote dialogue between followers of different faiths and cultures and establish an international counter terrorism center in New York. The king has also been successful in portraying the tolerant image of Islam to the world.
“We have to open up to other communities because the message of Islam does not address a particular community excluding others. In fact, it is a message for the whole humanity,” the king said in his opening speech at the 12th Makkah conference recently.
Other world leaders on the top 10 list are: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Pope Benedict XVI, US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
