King presents Faisal Award

King presents Faisal Award

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah with the winners of this year's King Faisal International Prize during the presentation ceremony in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)

By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah presented awards to this year's winners of the King Faisal International Prize on Tuesday.

Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, a number of princes, Cabinet ministers, diplomats, senior government officials and other dignitaries attended the presentation ceremony held at Prince Sultan Hall in the Al-Faisaliah complex here.

The Prize for Islamic Studies was withheld this year as none of the entries qualified for the award. 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 his citation, Abdullah Al-Othaimeen, secretary-general of the King Faisal International Prize, cited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the winner of the 2010 King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam. He said that Erdogan was nominated for the prize by the World Assembly of Muslim Youth. Erdogan, he said, has been given this prestigious award for his role in advancing a series of economic, social and cultural reforms in Turkey besides being a leading Muslim exponent, who "builds rapport between civilizations."

In his acceptance speech, Erdogan said that it was "a distinct pleasure for me to receive the King Faisal Award on behalf of my country and my people." He called for the restoration of peace and security in the Middle East, saying that it disturbs his conscience that "the Middle East is known as a geography of blood and cries."

King Abdullah presented the prize for Arabic language and literature to professor Abdulrahman El-Houari Hadj-Saleh of Algeria and professor Ramzi Mounir Baalbaki of Lebanon. "Professor Hadj-Saleh is recognized for his insightful analysis of Al-Khalil's linguistic theory and its relation to contemporary grammatical thought," said Othaimeen, while reading out the citation. He said that professor Baalbaki's publications in Arabic and English have enhanced Arabic grammar education both in Arab and Western universities and familiarized Western scholars with the fundamental manuscript of Si-Bawaihi, an ancient scholar and founder of Arabic grammar.

The prize for medicine was shared by professor Reinhold Ganz of Germany, professor Jean-Pierre Pelletier of Canada and professor Johanne Martel-Pelletier of Canada. They were honored for their pioneering works on non-arthroplasty management of degenerative joint disease.

In the science category, professors Enrico Bombieri of the United States and Terence Chi-Shen Tao of Australia shared the prize for their distinguished contributions in their respective fields. Bombieri work addresses fundamental and difficult problems in mathematics, said Othaimeen, while Tao is known for his "technical brilliance in the use of the necessary mathematical machinery."

The topics for 2011 King Faisal International Prize were also announced on this occasion. In Islamic studies category, the topic is "socioeconomic aspects in the Islamic world through 16th to 19the century", while in Arabic language category the topic is "renovation trends in Arabic poetry up to the end of the 7th Century Hijri".

In the science category, the Faisal award will be given for outstanding achievements in chemistry, while stem cell therapy is the topic under medicine category. The deadline for nomination is May 1, 2010.