Monthly Archives: July 2013

Alija Izetbegoviç moved during his childhood with his family to Sarajevo, where he grew up and received his formal education. After World War II, he graduated with degrees in economics and law from the University of Sarajevo. He was an urbane and a thoughtful politician who spoke English, French, and German, in addition to Serbocroatian. He served for 25 years as legal advisor in different establishments, including the University of Sarajevo, and became the first President of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1990-1996 and a member of the Presidency.

Dr. Izetbegoviç’s political strife dates back to the 1940s, when he became an active member of the Muslim Youth Organization. He was jailed twice for his courageous opposition to communist oppression of Muslims in former Yugoslavia. In 1989, he formed an Islamic political party that led Bosnian Muslims to their independence. Izetbegoviç was also a distinguished scholar, author, and philosopher. His intellectual pursuits include the publication of several books including Islamic Manifesto (translated into English, Arabic, and Albanian), Problems of Islamic Awakening and Islam Between East and West; the latter book was translated into English, Spanish, Turkish, Malay, and Urdu, and was described by reviewers as one of the most important books published in Europe in the 1980s.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Hamid Al-Ghabid obtained a Doctorate degree from the Sorbonne in Paris in 1988. He occupied senior political positions in the Government of Niger, and was the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1979-1981, Minister of Commerce in 1981-1983 and Minister of Finance in 1983, then Prime Minister of Niger from 1983 to 1988. In 1989, he was appointed the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

During his tenure as a Secretary General of the OIC, Dr. Al-Ghabid addressed some of the most important challenges facing the Islamic world. His role in supporting social, educational, cultural, political, and economic cooperation between Islamic countries, and in mediating disputes within and between these countries is particularly noteworthy. He is also credited with successfully relocating some 250,000 Bulgarian Muslim refugees to Turkey, and with convincing richer Islamic countries to increase their support to the less previleged communities in the Islamic World. He has also been successful in restoring confidence in the Islamic Cooperation Fund which provides aid to Islamic countries during natural disasters. Dr. Al-Ghabid also founded the Islamic Establishment for Social Studies in Niami, which supports various philanthropic projects in Niger.

A respected African leader with long diplomatic experience, Dr. Al-Ghabid was chosen by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to represent it as mediator in the Darfur conflict in Sudan.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

After completing general education in Jeddah, Abdullah Nasif obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Riyadh University (currently King Saud University) and a Ph.D. in Geology from Leeds University in the U.K. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London.

Dr. Nasif taught at King Saud and King Abdulaziz universities, and became a Secretary General, then a Vice-President of the latter university. In 1983, he was appointed as a Secretary General of the World Muslim League. Under his leadership, the League carried out major relief operations to assist destitute Muslims in various parts of the Islamic World, launched campaigns against poverty, illness, and illiteracy among Muslims in developing areas, and provided unfaltering support of Muslim minorities worldwide.

Dr. Nasif’s commitment to serving Islam and Muslims is further illustrated by his association with numerous Islamic organizations, charities, and learning institutions. He is the Chairman of the Islamic Relief Organization, a Vice-President of the International Islamic University in Islamabad, and a chairman and a member of the boards of trustees of numerous Islamic research centers in Europe, United States, and other parts of the world, including the Institute of Arabic and Islamic History in Frankfurt, the Islamic Cultural Center in Geneva, Dar Al-Salam University in New Mexico, the Islamic College in Chicago, the Islamic Center in Georgetown University, and the Islamic Academy in Cambridge.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Khurshid Ahmed obtained two Bachelor’s degrees in Law and Jurisprudence, two Master’s degrees in Economics and Islamic Studies, and two Honorary Doctorates in Education and Islamic Economics.

An internationally-known scholar and Islamic activist, Professor Khurshid authored and edited 70 books, 35 each in English and Urdu, as well as numerous articles, and participated in at least 100 seminars worldwide. He traveled extensively lecturing about Islam and preaching its values, and is presently an editor of Tarjumanul Quran.

Professor Khurshid held key positions in numerous national and international organizations dealing with Islamic religious, academic, economic, social, and constitutional matters. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies in Pakistan and the Islamic Foundation in Leicester, England, the Vice-President of the Islamic Research Academy in Karachi and Lahore, and a Member of the Boards of the International Islamic University in Islamabad, the Royal Academy for Islamic Civilization in Jordan and the Islamic Center in Zaria (Nigeria). He was Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Statistics, a professor in Karachi University, and a research scholar at Exeter University.

Professor Khurshid’s contributions have earned him several other awards, including the first Islamic Development Bank Award in 1988.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Ali Al-Tantawi was educated in Damascus University, graduating in 1932 with a law degree. Al-Tantawi combined formal education with private learning under renowned

Syrian Islamic and Arabic language scholars.

Shaikh Al-Tantawi served as a teacher in different parts of Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon before joining the Judiciary system in Syria, and was involved in formulating family laws during the unity between Egypt and Syria. He was also a journalist since 1926, and one of the first Arab broadcasters serving in radio stations in Java, Baghdad, and Damascus. In addition, he was involved in activities relating to the struggle for independence of various Arab nations from British and French rules, and was therefore subjected to continuous harassment, particularly in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

In 1963, he moved to Saudi Arabia where he taught for some years at the Shari’a and Arabic Language Colleges in Riyadh and Makkah, before dedicating his full time to writing, counseling, and preaching activities. He impressed a vast audience with his rich knowledge, wisdom, and moderation. He anchored a daily radio program and a weekly television program continuously for 25 years, and both of them were extremely popular. He also authored many books and articles on a wide range of topics and published his memoirs in eight volumes.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mohammad Al-Ghazali grew up in a religious home and memorized the Holy Quran in his early life. He studied in Al-Azhar, specializing in religious Guidance, and obtained a Master’s degree in Arabic Language. Within a few years, he became widely recognized as one of the most influential contemporary Islamic thinkers. He was also a zealous defender of Islam and a powerful opponent of extremism within the Islamic world.

After graduation, Al-Ghazali served for a short period as a preacher and Imam, then became an Inspector of Mosques, rising quickly to the positions of a Director of the Departments of Mosques, Daawa, and Guidance, and a Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments in Egypt. He was seconded, at various times, to the Islamic University in Makkah (Saudi Arabia), the College of Sharia in Qatar, and the Emir Abdulqadir Al-Jazairi University in Algiers. He traveled extensively in the Islamic World and was fully aware of Muslim conditions in Islamic countries and throughout the world.

Shaikh Al-Gazali was an intellectual of great caliber, and his thought derived from numerous sources. This was reflected in the depth and breadth of his knowledge. He authored more than 60 books and numerous articles on Islam, and contributed enormously to the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an. His ardent support of Muslim rights, as well as his wisdom and moderation, earned him the respect of millions of Muslims and non-Muslims around the world.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Ahmad Alonto obtained a Fellowship in Arts, a B.A., and Doctorate degrees in Law from the University of the Philippines.

Dr. Alonto was a prominent Islamic figure in the Philippines and was considered one of the world’s greatest Islamic leaders of the 20th Century. He led the Islamic movement in his country for over 30 years and strove to unite Filipino Muslims, improve their living conditions, and secure their rights. At the same time, he was a preacher of non-violence and peaceful co-existence between Filipino Muslims and Christians. In the 1950s, he was the only Muslim elected to the Filipino House of Representatives and subsequently the Senate.

Dr. Alonto founded the Mindanao Islamic University, the second largest state university in the Philippines and one of the legacies of Dr. Alonto. That university provides education for both Muslim and Christian students. In addition, he founded the Mindanao Mosque and Islamic Center, the largest of its kind in the Philippines, and sponsored the translation of the Holy Quran to the Moro language. He was a member of the Makkah-based World Muslim League, the Executive Council of the World Islamic Congress, and the Central Council of the International Organization of Islamic Universities, in addition to the head of several Islamic organizations in the Philippines.

Dr. Alonto authored or translated numerous books and articles explaining the fundamental principles of Islam and promoting its values among his countrymen. 

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Abu Bakr Gumi received elementary lessons in Quran, Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and Arabic at home, then joined regular schools and became a certified teacher. He continued his education at the School of Arabic Studies in Kano, specializing in Arabic Language and Islamic Studies, then traveled to Bakht Al-Ruda Institute in Sudan, where he obtained a high diploma in Sharia law.

Shaikh Gumi had a long history of struggle against colonialism in his country and was closely associated with the Nigerian leader Ahmadu Bello. The two men formed the Organization for Support of Islam, which played a significant role in fighting superstition and ignorance and in promulgating Islamic values among Nigerian Muslims.

Following Nigeria’s independence, Shaikh Gumi organized and headed the Shari’a judiciary system of northern Nigeria for several years and became Nigeria’s Grand Mufti in 1976. He participated in major national, regional, and international Islamic organizations such as the World Muslim League, the Islamic Research Academy in Cairo, the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars in Nigeria, and the Council of the Islamic University in Al-Madinat Al-Munawwarah (Saudi Arabia).

He authored several books dealing with different Islamic topics. He also translated interpretations of the Holy Qur’an as well as several books on Islam written in Arabic by Nigerian scholars, into the Hausa language. This was one of his most crucial accomplishments since it benefited millions of Muslims in Hausa speaking communities in Niger, Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Chad, in addition to Nigeria. Gumi received other international prizes and honorary degrees, as well as several national accolades from Nigeria.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Roger (or Raja’a) Garaudy obtained a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Sorbonne and a Ph.D. in Science from Moscow University. He was a contemporary Muslim thinker, author, and philosopher.

During World War II, Garaudy was taken as a prisoner of war in Algeria. Following his release, he was elected to the French Parliament. At that time, he was a member of the French Communist Party. In the 1970’s he tried to reconcile Roman Catholicism with Marxism, and was dismissed from the Communist Party. He was elected to the French Senate in 1970.

Dr. Garaudy became interested in religions as early as 1945, and was fascinated by the historical role of Islam and the Islamic civilization. He read several translated books on Islam and the interpretation of the Quran, while his Palestinian wife assisted him in reading and translating some Arabic resources, particularly texts dealing with Muslim heritage. However, it was not until 1982 that he converted to Islam.

Garaudy is the founder and President of the International Institute for Debate Between Civilizations and a member of the Moroccan Academy and the Jordanian Royal Academy for Research on Islamic Civilization. He published scores of scholarly papers and more than 50 books, including Debate Between Civilizations, A Warning to The Living, How Man became Man?, Islam Lives in Our Future, Islam and Integrity, Mosque, the Mirror of Islam, and Mohammad of Islam. Most of his books were translated into at least 10 languages.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Ahmad Deedat joined his father in South Africa in 1927. He was able to learn English in a short time and was a bright pupil. However, he had to leave school at the age of 16 to support his family. He vigorously pursued self-education, including extensive studies on comparative religion, while working in a furniture shop. He was profoundly influenced by observing that, in addition to racial discrimination, the authorities used religious ideology to “numb the masses,” and that there was a profound misunderstanding of Islam among non-Muslims. He was inspired by the concept of holding interreligious public debates, which he read about in Kairanvi’s book Truth Revealed. He delivered his first lecture, entitled Mohammad: Messenger of Islam in a movie theater in Durban, with only 15 people attending. Within a short time, his lectures attracted thousands of people who crossed the racial barrier to listen to him and ask questions. Ahmad Hussein Deedat was a renowned Muslim thinker, author, orator, and scholar of comparative religion. 

What distinguished Deedat from his contemporaries was his intensive knowledge of the Bible and Holy scriptures, coupled with his command of English.

Following this tremendous initial success, he decided to dedicate his life to the explanation of Islam and promotion of its values. His contributions, especially in the field of comparative religion, extended for more than 40 years and included his authorship of numerous books and manuscripts in addition to hundreds of audio-taped lectures, televised programs and public debates on Islam. He also founded and chaired the Islamic Propagation Center International in Durban, South Africa.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.