AGE: 83
OCCUPATION: Ruler of Saudi Arabia
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 1
PRO: As the custodian of Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina, the Saudi monarch is using his influence to call for an interfaith dialogue between warring Muslims, Christians and Jews.
CON: That dialogue will have to take place outside of Saudi Arabia proper: domestically, the Saudi regime, terrified of overthrow by militants, is so intolerant of "infidels" that it forbids non-Muslims from practicing their faith. It's one reason Abdullah is on Human Rights Watch's shortlist.