Home lists Top 100 most powerful Arabs 2022 Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah Chairman, UAE Fatwa Council Origin: Mauritania Residence: UAE Sector: Culture and Society At the forefront of shaping interfaith dialogue and promoting peace, Sheikh Abdullah has previously served as a judge at the High Court of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Head of Sharia Affairs at the Ministry of Justice. He is a scholar whose work is widely followed and respected across the world. In December, the UAE Fatwa Council of which he is currently the chairman organised a meeting between Fatwa authorities and organisations from around the world to encourage coordination in jurisdictional matters.