TIME Names Its 100 'Most Influential' people

Why is Mohammad Younus not on Time's list?
Why is Mohammad Younus not on Time's list? He's an amazing man who is improving the lives of millions of poor people. ---BBB

Bangladesh's 'banker to the poor' wins peace Nobel
By Saifur Rahman, Business News Editor

Dubai: Bangladeshi economist Dr Mohammad Younus and the microcredit institution he founded 30 years ago won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize yesterday.

"I'm very happy," the anti-poverty pioneer said in a statement obtained by Gulf News yesterday. "This is an achievement for the entire nation ... Today the world will recognise Bangladesh. It will inspire me to greater work and encourage me to do more for poverty alleviation. There should be no poverty, anywhere."

Younus, 66, set up the Grameen Bank in 1976 to lend to the neediest, particularly women, in Bangladesh, enabling them to start up small businesses without collateral. In doing so, he pioneered microcredit, a system copied in more than 100 nations from the United States to Uganda, and earned the nickname "banker to the poor".

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, development groups and political leaders around the world also hailed the new Nobel laureate, the first Nobel Peace Prize bestowed on a Bangladeshi.

Widening definition

Although Younus and his Grameen Bank is being credited with lifting more than half of the 6.61 million borrowers out of the poverty line, the Norway-based Nobel Committee yesterday rewarded him and the institution for Peace, instead of Economy.

"Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty," the Nobel Committee said in its citation.

"A person doesn't have to be rich to become creditworthy. Credit should be accepted as a human right," Younus told Gulf News in an earlier interview. "Credit is the last hope left to those faced with absolute poverty. That is why I believe that the right to credit should be recognised as a fundamental human right," he said.

Younus said later in the day he would donate all his $1.4 million (Dh5.14 million) prize money to good causes. He said he would use the money to fund a project to produce low-cost, nutritious food for the poor, an eye hospital, a drinking water project and a health care scheme. "These will be purely social business enterprises, i.e. not-for-profit organisations," he said.

In Dhaka, hundreds of friends and admirers gathered at Younus's residence with flowers and garlands as greetings poured in.

Re: Why is Mohammad Younus not on Time's list?


Because he is not well-known, and this was compiled by a public vote.

Dammit, they screwed me again this year.

BBB
Did anyone notice that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are not on the list?

BBB

Should be renamed "Out of Time".

me too....****. I can't believe these people. obviously didn't do all their research.

How is Allen on there but Gates isn't?

Jeeze, goys and birls . . .



The people listed were voted for by readers of the magazine--it is nothing more than an expression of opinion by those who chose to respond to an unscientific and capricious poll.

What member of public voted for Svante Paabo? Kari Stefansson? Nora Roberts (yucky)? The last page 100 was more interesting. How did Mahmoud Ahmedinejad not make the list? I would have voted for him...