Photo Gallery Muhammad Yunus
In 1976, while a professor of economics in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus came upon the idea of extending micro loans to his country's poor to help them start their own companies and hopefully climb out of poverty. The idea grew to become Grameen Bank, which issues such loans almost exclusively to poor women in Bangladesh. Forty years later, in 2006, Yunus and his bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Here, Yunus sits with Belgium's Princess Mathilde in 2007.
"It was a great moment for the whole nation," Yunus said. "It was a sudden explosion of pride and joy for every Bangladeshi." From that moment on, people fawned over Yunus and watched his every move. This photo is from 2004.
"Previously, if we screamed, people didn't listen," Yunus told Businessweek in 2006. "Now, if we whisper, the whole world will hear."
Winning the award thrust Yunus into the spotlight, putting him in the company of the worlds rich, powerful and famous. However, a recent documentary aired in Norway has tarnished his reputation with its claims that Yunuss bank funneled money earmarked for development purposes into other projects. Yunus has now told SPIEGEL ONLINE that the accusations against him are a total fabrication and baseless.
Here, Yunus walks with Carlos Slim, the Mexican who is the richest man in the world. Yunuss fame and success has brought him many enemies, who have taken advantage of the recent accusations to try to further tarnish his reputation. For example, in blogs and newspaper articles in Bangladesh, Yunus is being labeled a bloodsucker of the poor in mocking imitation of his autobiography entitled Banker to the Poor.
