If there were a list of the most patient people in the world when it comes to queueing for unnecessary things, especially newly-opened fast food restaurants, Singaporeans would take up the first ten spots.
The same goes for The Top 50 Consumers of Bubble Tea or Most Adept At Reserving Coffee Shop Seats.
But there are other lists, ones that actually matter, that include Singaporeans as well.
And one of them just accorded our president a rather high ranking.
S’pore President Halimah is Ranked 37th on List of World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims
Since 2009, the Royal Islam Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan has been compiling a list of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims every year.
Its ranking is based on the influence that Muslims around the world have on their community, or on behalf of their community.
It was recently revealed that President Halimah Yacob, who became Singapore’s first female president in 2017, is no.37 on the list.
What makes this even more impressive is that she’s the only Singaporean in the top 50 of the 2021 edition of The Muslim 500.
“As President, she has promoted initiatives for supporting a cohesive society, strengthening interfaith (bonds) and recognising all workers who contribute to Singapore’s growth,” her award citation said.
“She has a strong international profile, regularly meeting world leaders.”
President Halimah was first included on the list in 2018, where she came in at the 45th spot.
Since then, she has been making her ascent up the list.
In 2019, she was ranked 41st and in 2020, she was 38th.
A Trail Blazer With Humble Beginnings
Her status as president may not suggest it, but President Yacob had humble beginnings.
At the tender age of 8, Yacob’s father died due to a heart attack, leaving her mother to raise her and her four siblings.
Her family was in poverty at the time of her father’s death, so Yacob had to help her mother sell nasi padang outside the former Singapore Polytechnic (now Bestway Building) along Prince Edward Road.
She went on to attain a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore (now NUS) on a MUIS scholarship in 1978 and completed a Master of Laws at NUS in 2001.
In that same year, she entered politics and became the first Malay woman to be elected to Singapore’s Parliament when she won a seat in Jurong GRC.
And that was just the first of many other firsts.
In 2013 she became the first woman to be Speaker of the Singapore Parliament.
Just four years later, in Sep 2017, Yacob became Singapore’s first female President.
PM Lee once described her as a woman who speaks “with a practical, compassionate voice, helping us to shape effective policies with a human touch”.
She is the longest-serving female Muslim politician in the PAP.
And she also once lived in Yishun.
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