RIYADH: The Mohammed bin Salman Project for Developing Historical Mosques has completed its first phase, renovating 30 mosques in 10 Saudi regions at a cost of more than SR50 million ($13 million) over 423 days. This is part of the crown prince’s directive to renovate 130 historical mosques throughout the Kingdom.
Saudi engineers are involved to ensure the preservation of each mosque’s authentic urban identity using new, high-quality materials. The government is giving utmost importance to renovating historical mosques that have been closed for more than 40 years.
Facilities such as women’s prayer rooms, services for disabled people, air conditioning, lighting and acoustics are being provided.
One of the mosques, the Jarir Al-Bajali Mosque in Taif governorate, was established in the era of the Prophet Mohammed’s companion Jarir bin Abdullah Al-Bajali.
Some of these historical mosques were known as scholarly beacons, such as Sheikh Abu Bakr Mosque, which was established more than 300 years ago in Al-Ahsa governorate. (Arab News)

Saudi Arabia has temporarily halted the entry of pilgrims entering the country to visit holy sites, in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus.
The Saudi government said it would suspend visas for Muslims seeking to visit Mecca and Medina. Millions of Muslims make the journey each year, especially during the month of Ramadan, which starts in April.
Saudi Arabia has also suspended visas for tourists from countries with confirmed cases of the virus. It is not clear when the visa restrictions will be lifted or how Ramadan and the major Hajj pilgrimage – which begins in July – will be affected. (BBC)

RIYADH: The winners of the King Faisal Prize (KFP) were announced in Riyadh .
A ceremony was held in the presence of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of Makkah and chairman of the King Faisal Int. Prize Commission. The secretary-general of the award, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Subayyil, revealed the names of the winners as follows:
The prize for service to Islam was given to the Makkah Declaration of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit Conference, for being a historic constitution to establish the values of coexistence and peace. The Jordanian Dr. Mohammed Hashem Ghosheh, former professor at Al-Quds University, was announced as the winner of the prize for Islamic studies, for his work on the topic of Jerusalem’s Islamic heritage. The prize in Arabic language and literature, under the theme “Arabic Language Studies in Other Languages,” was given to Dr. Michael Carter, an Australian professor at the University of Sydney.
Dr. Stuart Holland Orkin, an American professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University was granted the prize in medicine for his work on hemoglobin diseases.
The price in science was awarded to Dr. Xiaodong Wang at the National Institute of Biological Sciences in Beijing. He was given the award for his pioneering discoveries that led to changes in understanding the functions and death of adult cells, contributing to the development of treatments and drugs that mimic the catalysts for stopping cell death .

Kuala Lumpur (UNA-OIC) – The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) aims to achieve its RM50 billion halal export target by year-end by enhancing its global marketing activities for local halal products. To realize this, the trade promotion agency will be leveraging the 17th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), to be held on 1-4 April this year.
According to Dinar Standard’s “State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2019/20”, Muslims spent US$2.2 trillion in 2018, a 5.2 percent growth year-on-year. The amount is expected to increase to US$3.2 trillion by 2024 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.2 percent. UNA

The first mosque in Slovenia was opened in the capital Ljubljana. This happened after overcoming a number of financial obstacles and defeating right-wing opposition parties, 50 years after the request for its construction was officially made. Islamic community head Mufti Nedzad Grabus said the mosque’s opening was “a turning point in our lives.” “Slovenia is the last former Yugoslav state to get a mosque, making Ljubljana a capital rather than a provincial town on the edge of the world,” he told a press conference.
Located in the semi-industrial area of Ljubljana, the mosque, which can seat up to 1,400 people, is the heart of an Islamic cultural center. It houses community offices; educational center with library; restaurant; basketball playground; housing for the Muslim clergy; and a 40-meter minaret. So far, Muslims – who make up 2.5% of the country’s population of 2 million people and the second largest religious group by census in 2002 – have held ceremonies in rented sports halls or other buildings.

An IT student from Faislabad, Pakistan, Shanza Munir, recently invented smart shoes for visually impaired people. The educated and energetic Pakistani students represented their nation in Dubai’s FGC (First Global Challenge) in October 2019. Many other bright minds, around 1500, appeared from a total of 191 various countries participated in the event to mark their personalities in the robotic aspect.
Her invention took over all the media channels, in accordance with the local reports. Designed especially for the one deprived of sight, these smart shoes will be the helping gadget and their ultimate guide.
According to the details, their total production cost is approximately Rs. 10,000 to Rs.12,000. It possesses the ability to sense and alarm the user of any hurdle he or she may receive in the way within a 200 centimeters radius allotted.
This design comes with a built-in vibration sensor that will assist by alerting the wearer regarding the blockages. She aims to assist the blind and visually impaired people on a larger scale than this move with the guidance of the higher authorities.
Shanza Munir, just like the other famous Pakistani students, has made us proud. Undoubtedly, its cost of production would also go down if it starts to develop on a large scale. There is no doubt in the fact that Pakistani students aim to fulfill the societal gaps present in this economy. We are hopeful that the higher authorities would backup her invention of the smart shoes and bring it to the business level. [Al Mujtama, Kuwait]