Six individuals and one organization from Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, and the USA have been named winners of the King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for the year 2019.
The King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam has been awarded to International University of Africa, located in Khartoum the capital of Sudan (https://en.iua.edu.sd/). This is in recognition of its outstanding contributions in the service to Islam and spreading of the Arabic language in Africa and beyond. The university has its origins in the Islamic African Centre, and is now the largest Islamic religious institution in sub-Saharan Africa. The university has 15 colleges outside Sudan in Africa, China and Turkey.
The 2019 prize for Islamic Studies (Topic: Studies on the Objectives of Islamic Law) has been withheld due to the lack of sufficiently meritorious nominations.
The prize for Arabic Language and Literature (Topic: Arabic Language and Contemporary Challenges) has been awarded to Abdelali Mohamed Oudrhiri of Morocco and Mahmoud Fahmy Hegazi of Egypt. Oudrhiri is a professor at the University of Mohammed V in Rabat the capital of Morocco.
The prize for Medicine (Topic: Bone Biology and Osteoporosis) is awarded to Steven L. Teitelbaum and Bjørn Reino Olsen (both are citizens of USA). Teitelbaum’s pioneering research focuses on bone cell biology for the purpose of developing new treatments for the prevention and cure of diseases such as osteoporosis.
This year’s prize for Science is in the area of Chemistry. It has been awarded to Allen Joseph Bard and Jean M.J. Fréchet (both are citizens of USA). Joseph Bard is recognized for his ground-breaking development of electro-generated chemiluminescence methods.
The prize consists of a certificate, hand-written in Diwani calligraphy, summarizing the laureate’s work; a commemorative 24 carat, 200 gram gold medal, uniquely cast for each Prize; and a cash endowment of US$200,000 to be shared equally.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) announced that it has completed the renovation and maintenance of the Najashi Shrine of As-hamah bin Abjar, King of Abyssinia and 15 Sahabi, in accordance with their origins.
The Anatolia news agency quoted a statement published by “Tikka” that the crews have restored the tomb of Najashi and 15 Sahabi in the village of Najashi, which is about 60 km from the city of Makla in Ethiopian.
In addition to the tombs of King Najashi and the Companions (Sahaba), Tikka renovated the mosque near the Najashi Shrine, as well as the Sahaba road linking the mosque with the Najashi Shrine.
The statement concluded by noting that cultural landmarks around the world contribute to the promotion of the cooperation between peoples and communities. (Al Mujtama)

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has ordered the restoration of 130 historical mosques within the National Program for the Restoration of Historic Mosques supervised by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) in partnership with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance.
The support he provided to develop historical mosques covered in the first phase the restoration of 30 mosques in 10 regions, at a cost of more than SR50 million ($13 million).
The National Program for the Restoration of Historic Mosques is one of the programs adopted by Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of SCTH and founder of Al-Turath Charitable Foundation, as part of his concern to take care of and serve mosques and the Islamic architectural heritage. The foundation has undertaken to document and restore a number of mosques of historical value since its launching of the program in 1998.
The crown prince’s support is considered the most generous in the Kingdom’s history, given the number of mosques and the overall cost since the launching of the program 20 years ago.
Work teams have started formulating the project action plan under the directions of the crown prince. The first phase covers 30 mosques that will be restored: Each mosque will be ready to receive more than 4,000 worshippers. (Arab News)

In a notable achievement, the UAE passport has become the world’s strongest passport and is now ranked first globally. The UAE passport was ranked first by the Passport Index, an interactive online tool issued by Arton Capital that provides users with insights on passports, with the ability to compare and rank the world’s passports.
The UAE passport holder can travel to 167 countries without the need for pre-visa requirements, which is 84% of the number of countries listed in the index. The UAE passport was on 27th position in December 2016, and now attained first place in December 2018. The Passport Index is a global benchmark for classifying international passports and reflects the world’s view on the power and impact of passport. (Arab News)