The awards were presented in four categories, except Arabic language and literature, to seven recipients from Malaysia, US, Japan, Turkey and Jordan this year.
In the service to Islam category, Prince Naif presented the prize to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former prime minister of Malaysia. Two scholars from the US joined the elite ranks of 18 Americans who have so far received the prize in the science category.
Badawi was selected for the prize in recognition of his outstanding services to Islam, both within Malaysia and abroad. Badawi played a major role in reinforcing Malaysian economic development and encouraging Islamic studies.
In his acceptance speech, Badawi said: “It was an honor for me to receive the KFIP for service to Islam.” He said he had made “untiring efforts to promote human capital in the Islamic world.” “I dedicate this prize to peace and stability,” said Badawi, who has supported Islamic legal administration, and strengthened endowment and Haj institutions in Malaysia.
As chairman of the OIC, Badawi waged a war against poverty in the Muslim world and sought to provide an economic face to the OIC by striving to enhance trade and business among member countries.
Badawi is currently the chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding (IKIM) and patron of the Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) in Kuala Lumpur. Badawi, who is also a founding patron of the World Islamic Economic Forum, thanked Prince Naif for the award.
The presentation ceremony at the Prince Sultan Hall in Al-Faisaliah Hotel here was attended by several members of the royal family, ministers, diplomats, academicians, government officials and newsmen.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the director-general of the King Faisal Foundation (KFF) and chair of the KFIP board, welcomed Prince Naif and the guests. Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman was also present.
Prince Khaled said that KFIP was one of the King Faisal Foundation’s main projects inspired by humanitarian zeal, peace and the noble values of Islam, which the late King Faisal held throughout his life.
“The prize seeks to realize some of his aspirations for the progress of mankind and particularly his desire to emphasize the role of Arabs and Muslims toward that progress,” said the Makkah governor. “I am proud of my country and my people for preserving Islamic values, peace and brotherhood,” he added.
Abdullah Al-Othaimeen, KFIP secretary-general, read out individual citations for winners who then received their prizes from Prince Naif.
The prize in the category of Arabic language and literature was withheld this year due to the insufficient merit of nominated works. Each winner of the award received SR750,000 ($200,000) in cash, a certificate outlining the laureate’s work and a commemorative 22-carat gold medallion. In the Islamic studies category, professor Halil Ibrahim Inalcik of Turkey and professor Muhammad Adnan Bakhit Al-Sheyyab of Jordan, received prizes as cowinners.
After receiving his prize from Prince Naif, Inalcik said he had been working on the history of the Ottoman Empire for several years, which led him to write his seminal book, “An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire.” Inalcik, a renowned Turkish historian, has also taught Ottoman history at the University of Chicago.
In his acceptance speech, Al-Sheyyab said that his three-volume book on the history of Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon deals with profoundly important aspects of the economic and social history of those countries. Al-Sheyyab, whose academic career spans nearly half a century, founded Al-Albait University in Jordan and served as rector for two universities besides being on the editorial board of several publications and journals.
In the category of medicine, James Alexander Thomson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, joined the elite rank of 20 Americans who have bagged the KFIP. This year, the prize was shared by Shinya Yamanaka, a professor at Japan’s Kyoto University for his outstanding works on stem cell therapy. Thomson has made the groundbreaking discovery that “induced pluripotent stem cells could be generated from human somatic cells.” This has revitalized interest in stem cell biology with many laboratories reinvestigating the possible use of cells in the modeling and treatment of human diseases.
Thomson, who was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2008, has published more than 127 research papers and holds 14 patents. Yamanaka, on the other hand, is an internationally acclaimed stem cell researcher. Also listed as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by the Time Magazine, the Japanese professor’s distinguished career has been crowned by his discovery reported in 2006 that the addition of only four genes could revert adult mouse skin cells back to embryonic-like stem cells.
In the science category, a Harvard University professor, George M. Whitesides, and a Stanford University professor, Richard Zare, both from the US, shared the prize. The citation said that “Whitesides has revolutionized the field of self-assembly using molecular scale synthesis to control the macroscopic properties of surfaces.”
He has also been recognized for developing connections between nanoscience and biological systems, leading to new paradigms for drug design. Whitesides, whose legendary career in chemistry spans nearly 50 years, has authored or coauthored more than 1,100 research papers. He holds over 50 patents also.
The cowinner in the science category, Zare, has been recognized for his fundamental contribution in the understanding of molecular dynamics and chemical reactions. He has developed the extremely sensitive technique of laser-induced fluorescence and pioneered its application in many fields ranging from analytical chemistry and molecular biology to astrophysics. Zare, listed as one of the top 25 chemists alive today, has published more than 900 research papers and holds 50 patents.
The two American scientists thanked the KFF and said that they had a pleasant surprise on hearing news of their nomination for the prize. After the awarding ceremony, topics for the 2012 King Faisal International Prize were also announced. Biology will be the subject for the KFIP in the science category, while minimal invasive fetal management will be the topic in the medicine category, said a press statement released on the occasion.
"Computer processing of the Arabic language: Individual and Institutional Endeavors" will be the topic in the Arabic language & literature category, while human rights in Islam will be the subject of the prize in the Islamic studies category. The deadline for nomination for 2012’s KFIP is May 1, 2011. The King Faisal Foundation was established in 1976 by the eight sons of the late King Faisal.
Of the many philanthropic activities of the KFF, the KFIP is the most widely known.
The King Faisal Awards were established in 1979. The prize is considered the Arab Nobel Prize. Several winners of the King Faisal prize have also won the Nobel Prize. This was the 33rd edition of the KFIP. A total of 209 scholars and men of letters from 40 countries have so far received the KFIP in the five categories in which the award is given.