May 2, 2009
Washington DC - The annual King Faisal Prize has lifted its ban on the nomination and award to Jewish scientists last month, in an apparent response to critical reporting on the issue by Washington-based groups, including the Saudi Information Agency (SIANEWS).
Dr. Ronald Levy, a cancer researcher at Stanford University was awarded the King Faisal Prize for medicine, last month, a first for any Jew in 31 years since the start of the Saudi government-funded prize.
The Institute for Gulf Affairs (previously the Saudi Institute), and the Saudi Information Agency have reported the King Faisal Foundation’s anti-Jewish and anti-Shia polices including its ban on the nomination of Shia Muslims, and Jews from the annual prize. The ban was reported by the Gulf Institute in all its reports on human rights and religious freedom in Saudi Arabia.
Famed Muslim philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr, currently University Professor of Islamic Studies at the George Washington University, Washington D.C., was notified of winning the prize in 1978, but soon after the award was withdrawn without explanation. Nasr is a Shia Muslim born in Iran.
King Faisal Prize was established in 1977 and is awarded in five categories; service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic literature, medicine, and science. The board of directors is composed from the male children of the late King Faisal, including the Saudi foreign minister Saud AlFaisal, and his brother former Saudi ambassador to Washington Turki AlFaisal.
Press reports said that Martin Indyk, the pro-Saudi director of the Saban Center of the Brookings Institution, convinced Dr. Levy of accepting the award after he was surprised by the consideration. The Brookings received money from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Arab governments.
The Saudi government blocks its sizable Shia population from mid-level and senior government positions. The Saudi foreign minister, Saud Al-Faisal has an outstanding order banning the employment of Shia in the Saudi forging ministry.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel have improved in the past few years, as the Saudi ruling family’s fear from the rising Shia political power, and the Iranian influence pushed it towered Israel. Saudi Arabia bans the nationalization of non-Muslims and until 2005 banned Jews from entering the country.
Al-Faisal: Jews, Shia Muslims Need Not Apply
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