Manama: Religious figures are the most followed Arab personalities on Twitter, holding up seven of the top ten places.
Saudi preacher Mohammad Al Uraifi dominated with more than six million followers while Aedh Al Qarni, another Saudi preacher, was second with slightly more than four million people following his account on the microblog.
US-educated Lebanese preacher Ahmad Al Shuqairi was third on the list with 3,909,538 followers ahead of Saudi preacher Salman Al Ouda who had 3,327,952 followers on his account.
Queen Rania of Jordan was the only woman and the first non-religious figure to make it to the top-ten list thanks to her 2,858,456 followers, a report in the Saudi news site Sabq said on Wednesday.
Nabeel Al Awadhi, a preacher from Kuwait, was a close sixth with 2,814,117 followers, one position higher than another preacher Tareq Al Habib who had 2,673,606 followers.
Kuwait Quran reader Mashari Al Afassi was eighth with 2,547,443 followers while His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was the only political figure on the select list with close to two million followers.
Lebanese singing sensation Nancy Ajram was the only artist to reach the list thanks to her 1,789,132 followers.
Even though sports, particularly football, are hugely popular in the Arab world, not a single player was among the most followed people. Fame achieved by artists in the 22 Arab countries and beyond did not reflect on the list of the most followed personalities in the Arab world.
Internationally, reports indicate that Justin Bieber topped the list with 43,055,521 followers, ahead of fellow singers Katy Perry with 40,779,138 followers and Lady Gaga with 39,766,714 followers.
The first politician to make it to the list is President Barack Obama with 35,155,014 followers.
