Dawn Images

The Bangladeshi PM, a Saudi billionaire and the President of Mauritius are just a few Muslim women mentioned in Forbes 13th annual World’s 100 Most Powerful Women and we couldn’t be more proud.

According to Forbes, “The number of women leaders in the world has more than doubled since 2005,” which explains why most women mentioned in the list play a vital role in their country.

What’s even more interesting that “this elite group [of women] governs or directly influences more than 3.6 billion people.” That is half the world’s population! If that doesn’t impress you, we don’t know what will.

Here are the Muslim women of the hour:

Sheikh Hasina Wajed

Taking the 36th spot on the list, Sheikh Hasina Wajed is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, running for the second time. She was first elected PM in 1996. She commands a country with the world’s eighth largest population. This is her second mention in the Forbes’ list, she was previously ranked 59 last year.

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi

Coming in at 43, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi is the Minster of State for Tolerance in the UAE. In 2004, She became the first woman in the country’s history to assume a cabinet position. Her first mention on the list was in 2015 ranked at 42.

Lubna S. Olayan

Hailing from Saudi Arabia, Olayan has been ranked 65 on the list for being one of the most influential businesswomen in the Middle East. In 2004, she became the first woman elected to a board position in the Kingdom. She was ranked 67 in 2015.

Dr. Raja Easa Al Gurg

Ranked 91, Raja Easa Al Gurg is a Dubai-based businesswoman who has played a significant role in the support and encouragement of Arab women entrepreneurs. She is the managing director of multidivisional conglomerate, Easa Saled Al Gurg Group. She ranked 2 in Forbes Middle East list of Most Powerful Arab Women, 2015. Last year she ranked 97 on the World’s Most Powerful Women list.

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

The first female Muslim president of Mauritius ranks in at #96. With no political background and a PhD in chemistry, this biodiversity scientist says, “I did not choose politics, but politics chose me.” She is working towards advancing global warming awareness and promoting new investment in science and technology on the island and Africa. This is her first mention on the list.

Also read: Ameenah Gurib-Fakim is no stranger to Karachi

Sri Mulyani Indrawati

Sri Mulyani ranked 37 on the latest list; The 53-year-old is the current managing director of the World Bank, following her previous stints as Indonesia’s coordinating minister of economic affairs and minister of finance.

This is the fifth year in a row that Sri Mulyani has made the list. She ranked 31st last year.

These women have worked hard to get where they are and have rightfully earned their place on this list. Next year, we hope women from Pakistan make it on the Forbes list. Here’s to seeing women changing the way people perceive gender roles.

You can find the complete list here.

Clarification: An earlier version of this article did not include Sri Mulyani Indrawati in the list. Images regrets the error.