Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — As part of its efforts to highlight the role of Arabs in the progress of mankind, the King Faisal International Prize has so far recognized the contributions of 108 Arabs, including individuals of Arab origin, as well as Arab organizations. Among the individual winners are rulers, researchers and scientists.

Currently, nominations for the 40th session of the award are undergoing a comprehensive evaluation process to select the next set of winners in five categories: Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language & Literature, Medicine, and Science.

“The Arab region has historically been a major contributor to humanity’s progress. During the last 40 years, King Faisal International Prize has helped put the spotlight on individuals, including Arab kings, rulers, scientists and researchers with outstanding records of service in various fields, and it is a matter of great pride that a significant number of these winners are Arabs,” said Dr. Abdulaziz Alsebail, secretary general of the King Faisal International Prize.

Of the 108 Arab individuals and organizations who have won the award, 24 have secured in the Service to Islam category, 30 in the Islamic Studies category and 49 in Arabic Language & Literature category. Five have received the award in the Science category.

Among the first Arabs to win the award were Abd Alqadir Al-Qit from Egypt and Ihsan Abbas from Palestine, who were honored for their contributions to Arabic Language and Literature, especially for highlighting modern trends in Arabic poetry. In 2009, Prof. Abdulaziz Bin Nasir Al-Manie was given the award in recognition of his distinguished efforts in editing, verifying and elucidating several illustrious Arabic literary works.

King Khaled Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia received the award in 1981, becoming the first Arab winner of the award in the Service to Islam category. Apart from King Khaled, four other Arab rulers, including King Salman (2017), King Abdullah (2008) and King Fahd (1984) and Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah in the UAE, have won the award for their service to Islam (2002).

Among the Arab scientists who won the prize in Islamic Studies was Prof. Roshdi Hifni Rashed, an Egyptian with French nationality. He was honored for his insightful studies and translations of Muslims’ contributions to pure science.

Sir Michael Francis Atiyah from the UK, one of the greatest mathematicians who hails originally from Egypt, won the KFIP in science in 1987, becoming the first Arab to win the prize in a category other than Service to Islam, Islamic Studies and Arabic Language and Literature.

Ahmed Hassan Zewail from the USA, who also hails from Egypt, won the KFIP in science on the topic, Physics, for developing a technique known as ultra-fast laser molecular beam spectroscopy, that helped unravel some of the mysteries of molecules. He later went on to win the Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1999.

Semir Zeki from the UK, who has Arab origins, received the award in 2004 for contributions in biology centered on the organization of the visual cortex in humans and other primates.

Mustafa Amr El-Sayed and Omar Mwannes Yaghi, also from USA, were honored for their contributions to the field of Chemistry. El-Sayed won the recognition in 1990 for his works focused on laser spectroscopy helped identify complex chemical systems, which are of importance to life processes, such as energy conversion and transfer, photosynthesis and photochemistry. Omar Yaghi won the award in 2015 for his contributions in the field of metal organic frameworks.