Hasan Turabi

This is a formidable foe for all Arab leftists.  He was one of the most influential and effective and cunning Islamists there are.  I detested him but was greatly impressed with his personality and effectiveness and sharp mind.  He wrote the constitution of several Arab countries (including UAE) and infused them with religion.  He combatted leftism and inspired the most horrific Islamist regime in the Sudan.  He established ties with Ben Laden and then lied about it.  His personality was unusual for an Islamist: he was very funny and had a great appetite for humor and irony.  I never met him but read him and followed his career.  Arab progressives circulated the true story of that Sudanese opposition person (an expert in martial arts) who waited for Turabi at a Canadian airport and beat him severely.  He was the king of disguising Islamist aims with hollow democratic rhetoric.  He is one of the few Islamists with broad education really, hence his effectiveness.