WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR 1425H - 2005G KING FAISAL INTERNATIONAL PRIZE Riyadh, 30 Dhu Al-Qa'dah - 11 January 2005, HRH Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Director of King Faisal Foundation, tonight announced the winners of the 1425H - 2005G King Faisal International Prize. The Prize for Service to Islam has been awarded jointly to H.E. Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ali (Saudi Arabia), and the Al-Hariri Foundation of Lebanon. Dr. Ali is awarded the Prize in recognition of his achievements in the field of Islamic banking. As president of the Islamic Development Bank since its inception thirty years ago, he has not only consolidated the conformity of banking transactions with Islamic Laws but has also set an example of successful and modern Islamic banking. His endeavors to strengthen economic ties between Islamic countries coupled with his strong support of research and training in the field of Islamic economics bear witness to his unrelenting commitment to the Service of Islam and Muslims. Al-Hariri Foundation, a leading philanthropic institution in Lebanon, is renowned for its commitment to education and culture. So far, it has supported college education for nearly 30,000 male and female students, in addition to 835 Ph.D. candidates. It has also built schools and colleges throughout Lebanon and, in its efforts to preserve Islamic architecture, refurbished ancient mosques in that country and is also actively involved in the construction of new ones. In addition, it fostered numerous social and health care centers and facilities for the elderly and the disabled, particularly in the aftermath of the Lebanese civil war, and contributed generously to educational efforts and relief operations in other Arab and Muslim Countries. The Prize for Islamic Studies (Muslims’ Defense of their Homeland During the 5th and 6th Centuries A.H.) has been awarded to Professor Carole Hillenbrand (U.K.), Professor of Islamic History at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in recognition of her unique pioneering research of this year’s prize topic. Professor Hillenbrand’s revolutionary approach to the largely one-sided subject of The Crusades has sought to redress several of the misconceptions shrouding them. Employing objectivity, preciseness and clarity of thinking, she has located several original texts, written in different languages and previously un-translated, in support of her refreshing examination of the many stereotypes that have pervaded western literature on this subject. “The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives”, the culmination of her relentless endeavours, has been the first work of its kind to address this era through Muslim eyes, thereby making it possible for history to be viewed from a more balanced and impartial perspective. The Prize for Arabic Language and Literature (Arabic Prose in the 4th and 5th Centuries A.H.: its genres, authors and books) is withheld this year due to the fact that the works presented were unqualified for the awarding of the Prize. The Prize for Medicine (Topic: Tobacco Risks on Human Health) is awarded to Professors Sir Richard Doll and Sir Richard Peto of the Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU) at Oxford University, U.K., for their pioneering and profoundly valuable epidemiologic research that has unequivocally established the link between tobacco and various diseases, such as vascular diseases and cancers, and has, in addition, served to propagate further research elucidating the molecular mechanisms of tobacco mediated cellular damage and DNA mutations. Indeed, so great has the impact of their studies been that several national health policies have been modified as a result of these findings. The WHO itself changed its position on smoking which culminated in a demonstrable decline in deaths related to cancer and atherosclerotic vascular diseases in several developed countries. Such significant benefits have transcended to large populations of developing countries as well, proferring an immeasurable contribution to mankind. The prize for Science (Physics) has been awarded jointly to Professors Federico Capasso (USA), Frank Wilczek (USA) and Anton Zeilinger (Austria) Professor Capasso of Harvard University is one of the most creative and influential physicists in the world having achieved international recognition through his design and demonstration of the Quantum Cascade Laser. This revolutionary approach, perhaps the most important development in laser physics during the last decade, signifies an imaginative breakthrough in this field enabling a remarkable contribution of excellent solid-state science and laser physics with new solid-state technology. Professor Wilczek, a broadly accomplished and creative theoretical physicist, at MIT, has made a whole host of important contributions to several arenas. The most important of these has been the elucidation of Quantum Chromodynamics as the correct model for the Strong Force, one of the four known forces in nature. This masterpiece, alongside his other seminal achievements, elevates him to the ranks of the world’s most prominent scientists. With contributions ranging from epistemological and foundational research to the forefront of modern quantum technology, Professor Anton Zeilinger of the University of Vienna, has served and advanced mankind in both the cultural and technological domains. His impressive body of work includes that of applying the laws of quantum mechanics for the teleportation of the properties of a particle, heralded as a scientific milestone. In addition to this, he has successfully identified Quantum Cryptography as the only current method guaranteeing the confidentiality of a transmitted message as governed by natural laws. King Faisal Foundation Public Relations Department Tel. +(966 1) 465 2255 Fax +(966 1) 465 6524 eMail: Info@kff.com Website: http://www.kff.com
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