Culture & Education | Monday 2 March, 2015 2:37 am |

Winners of the 37th annual King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) were presented to His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud tonight, at a VIP ceremony at Riyadh’s Al Faisaliah Hotel.

Speaking at the glittering reception, HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal, the director of the King Faisal Foundation congratulated the winners, saying: “Winners of the King Faisal International Prize who have dedicated their lives for the sake of human happiness, I congratulate you.”
This year’s award winners – Dr. Zakir Naik for Service to Islam; Dr Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Kaki for Islamic Studies; Professor Jeffrey Ivan Gordon for Medicine; and Professor Michael Grätzel and Professor Omar Mwannes Yaghi, who were jointly recognized for Science – were each awarded a calligraphic commemorative certificate and a specially minted 24 carat gold medal, together with a cash prize of USD200,000 for each category.

Abd Allah S Al-Uthaimin, the Secretary General of the KFIP said: “The General Secretariat of King Faisal International Prize expresses its deep thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman for sponsoring this ceremony, and congratulates the winners of this year’s prizes for a well-deserved recognition. May Allah assist and support those working towards the welfare of humanity.”

The establishment of the King Faisal Foundation, and the inception of the King Faisal International Prize as one of the Foundation’s projects, drew from the humanitarian values of Islam, which King Faisal championed 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 towards that progress, recognising the outstanding works of individuals and institutions in five categories: Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science.

No prize was awarded in the Arabic Language and Literature category this year.