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Iraqi activist Madeeha Hasan Odhaib has been named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world list.

Odhaib arrived for the gala in New York on Thursday, carrying an Iraqi flag. She got the 32nd slot in Time's list.

The 37-year-old seamstress has devoted much of her time helping the poor and homeless in Iraq. Some people have begun calling her the Mother Teresa of Baghdad.

Odhaib runs a business sewing hospital sheets and flags and employs 100 women. In a country with more than 60 per cent unemployment rate, such efforts provide a lifeline.

Odhaib also organises periodic distribution of food and other supplies to various camps for displaced people in Iraq. She said she has gotten threats because of her work.

"But I will never stop helping whoever is in need, even if it is going to cost my life, because I know I'm doing the right thing," she said.