Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, and Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Executive President of King Faisal Foundation, greet the winners of the King Faisal International Prize 2014 at a ceremony in Riyadh on Sunday. — Courtesy photo Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, patronized the King Faisal International Prize ceremony here on Sunday. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Executive President of King Faisal Foundation, attended the award ceremony. The annual prestigious prize this year recognizes achievements in Service to Islam, Islamic Studies (Cultural Heritage of Makkah Al-Mukarrama), Arabic Language and Literature (Studies on Modern Arabic Novel), Medicine (Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Fetal Diseases), and Science (Mathematics). The Service to Islam Prize was given to Shaikh Dr. Ahmed Lemu (Nigeria) for being an advocate of moderation and for his efforts toward education, development and call to Islam through establishing a number of societies, schools and endowments and playing a significant role in defending Muslim women's rights. Professor Abdulwahab Abou Sulaiman (Saudi Arabia) received the Islamic Studies Prize for his illustrious academic studies which monitor and document cultural exchanges between people in the Holy Haram and its surroundings, particularly his text: “Bab Al-Salam”, which portrays the issue during important historical periods. The winner of the Arabic Language & Literature Prize is Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim (Iraq) for his distinguished contributions to the study of the modern Arabic novel. Dr. Ibrahim has employed different literary analytical methods in his book. The Prize for Medicine was awarded to Professor Yuk Ming Dennis Lo (China) for his work on transforming the field of prenatal genetic diagnosis through his discovery of cell free fetal nucleic acids in the maternal blood and the identification of their placental source. The Prize for Science was awarded to Professor Gerd Faltings (Germany) for his groundbreaking contributions to algebraic geometry and number theory. They join a long list of distinguished scholars and scientists from the Middle East and wider world whose achievements have been recognized by the Prize committee over the last 36 years.
The prize winners each received a cash endowment of $200,000 and a 24 carat gold medal, weighing 200 grams, one of the Arab world's most generous awards. No less than 16 award winners have gone on to win Nobel Prizes. The Prizes are awarded on behalf of the King Faisal Foundation which was founded in 1976 in memory of Saudi Arabia's late King by his sons and daughters. It recognizes exceptional achievements in Science and Medicine, Service to Islam, Islamic Studies and Arabic Language and Literature. The King Faisal International Prize rewards individuals whose accomplishments are not only exceptional in their own right, but which make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge belonging to humankind. Religion, gender and background are no bar to either nomination or success. Non-Muslim scholars have won Prizes for both Arabic Language & Literature and Islamic Studies as well as for science and medicine.
