Faisal Prize for Sharjah Ruler
Shaikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi
Shaikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi
Winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 2002
Riyadh: This year’s King Faisal International Prize 2002, for Service to Islam has been awarded to Shaikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. As a leader and philanthropist, Shaikh Sultan has fostered numerous educational, social, healthcare and housing projects that have benefited the Muslim community across the world. As member of the UAE, Supreme Council, he has relentlessly emphasised the values of Islam and spared no effort in implementing its teachings. Professor Yuri I Manin (Russian), Director of the Max-Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn, Germany shares the Prize for Science (Mathematics) with Dr Peter. Williston Shor (American), a member of the research staff at the AT & T Shannon Research.
Professor Houssan Al-Din Amin Al-Khateeb
Professor Houssan Al-Din Amin Al-Khateeb
Co-Winner of the Prize for Arabic Literature
Professor Husni Mahmoud Hussein
Professor Husni Mahmoud Hussein
Co-Winner of the Prize for Arabic Literature
Laboratory in the United States. Dr Shor is an outstanding scientist in the field of computer science, and Professor Manin’s work extends from the most abstract field of number theory to the most practical, dealing with the establishment of secure mathematical foundations. The King Faisal International Prize for Medicine has been jointly awarded to Professor Finn Waagstein (Swedish), professor of Cardiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden and Professor Eugene Braunwaid (American), professor of Cardiology, Harvard Medical School, USA. In recognition for their outstanding contribution to the study of contemporary Palestinian literature, the Prize for Arabic Literature has been awarded to Professor Houssan Al Din AL Khateeb (Syrian), professor of Arabic Literature, Damascus University Syria and to Professor Husni Mahmoud Hussein (Jordanian), professor of Arabic Literature Al Yarmouck University, Jordan. King Faisal International Prize is part of King Faisal Foundation, the Middle East’s largest philanthropic organisation. Through its numerous activities around the world, the Foundation promotes and preserves Islamic culture, assists needy communities and encourages research in science, medicine and Islamic studies.
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Zakat to Become Tax Deductible
Jakarta, IINA: With effect from the year 2002, Zakat payment for Muslims in Indonesia is tax deductible, according to Director of Zakat Affairs at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, M. Tulus. It is expected that this new tax element would encourage people to allocate more for their Zakat, though even without it too, the citizens would still continue to pay Zakat, as enjoined by Islam.
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Spiralling Wedding Costs in Saudi
Jeddah, IINA: Faced with the growing problem of many youngsters staying unmarried as a result of high dowry, the Shura council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is initiating a debate involving scholars and sociologists. Local committees have been set up to encourage mass weddings to reduce the cost. Recently 1,500 men and women were married in a mass marriage arranged by a local charity in Jeddah.
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New Publications from ISESCO and MWL
Rabat, IINA: The Rabat-based Islamic Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) have brought out two new publications- The Educational and Social Role of the Mosque, written by Dr. Mamdouh S. Abu Nasr, Dr. Muhammad Abdul Samii Othman, and Dr. Abdul Badii A. Al-Khuly, and the Directory of Guidance on Improving the Curricula of Quran in Schools, authored by two research scholars, Mustafa Al-Hilaly and Mustafa Al-Rihany.
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Funicular Mode of Transport in Makkah
Jeddah, IINA: The King Fahd Center for Haj Research has made a study on the possibility of installing funicular mode of transport between the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the parking lot area . (In this mode hanging cars travel on cables for short and steep distances and can be raised and lowered according to the need. Since pilgrims have to traverse a distance between the parking lot and the Haram this mode of aerial transport can provide relief. According to the study, the project would extend to the Jamarat area close to the Arafat plains. It is expected that this mode of transport would be able to carry 10,000 passengers every hour, if the present volume of traffic between the parking lot and the Grand Mosque during the pilgrimage is concerned.
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Muslim Personality Award to Begovic
Dubai, IINA: Winners of the International Holy Quran Recitation and Memorisation Contest were honoured by the Dubai Crown Prince and Minister of Defence, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al-Maktum. Maktum presented the 1,000,000 Dirhams-prize for the Muslim Personality of the year to Dr. Ezzat Begovic. Begovic, born in 1925, lived most of his life in Sarajevo, where he completed his secondary education in 1943. Begovic dedicated himself to the struggle for Muslim rights in his country, in the process of which, he was imprisoned by the Communist regime. When Communism fell, he formed the Democratic Labour Party in 1989, representing both Muslims and non-Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1990, he was elected the first president of his country. In 1993, Begovic was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam.
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Fact File Media's Poor Exposure to the Islamic World
The bias in the Western media in reporting of Islam, Arabs, Palestinian problem or Muslims has roots in the media’s poor exposure to the Arab and Islamic world. According to a study by an Israeli researcher recently, nearly 300 foreign news organisations are represented in the Middle East with base in Israel. The only other place where large number of news organisations are based is the Middle East which comes next with only 120. Two-thirds of the 300 news organisations are from the West, mainly western Europe and America. Vast majority of the correspondents report from Israel about news from the Palestine Authority as well and about the conflict in general. A fairly large proportion among them are Jewish, most have lived in Israel for many years and some are married to Israeli women.
The Western background of most of the journalists makes it easier for them to connect with the Israeli mentality than that of the Palestinians. About 91 per cent defined their knowledge of Israel as “good” as opposed to only 41 per cent who said they thought their knowledge of Arab countries was on a good level, and 35 per cent said it was “medium”. They also know a great deal more about Judaism than about Islam- 57 per cent said they had a “good” level of knowledge of Judaism, as opposed to only 10 per cent for Islam. And their Arabic- 54 per cent are completely fluent in Hebrew and another 20 per cent have working knowledge of the language, while only six per cent are fluent in Arabic, while another 42 per cent can “get by” in Arabic.
Most of the foreign and Israeli correspondents writing for the English language news agencies and wire services live in Israeli-controlled parts of the country where a full range of Western style amenities are readily accessible. (An analysis of other factors which influence news coverage of this conflict is available at
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