JEDDAH: The 2021 King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam has been awarded to Mohamed Al-Sharikh from Kuwait, chairman of Sakhr Software Company.
He was honored for his work to benefit Islam and Muslims, including the development of the first software that presented English translations of the Qur’an and Hadith, and his work updating the Islamic Information Archive, which includes the Qur’an, the Encyclopedia of Hadith and the Encyclopedia of Islamic Jurisprudence.
He is one of five winners chosen by a selection committee led by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Prize Board.
The others are Moroccan Professor Mohamed Mechbal of Abdul-Malik Al-Saadi University in Tétouan, Morrocco (Arabic language and literature); Stephen Mark Strittmatter, an American neurologist at Yale School of Medicine, and British Professor Robin Franklin of the Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (co-winners in medicine), and Professor Stuart Parkin from the UK, an experimental physicist at Stanford University in California (science).
Mechbel was recognized for work that lays the foundations for the creation of modern Arab rhetoric within a vision inspired by the call for renewal. Strittmatter and Franklin were rewarded for their pioneering work in the field of regenerative medicine in neurological conditions, which has led to advances in therapeutic approaches to the regeneration of the central nervous system.
Parkin was honored for innovative research that has resulted in a 1,000-fold increase in the storage capacity of magnetic disk drives.
The service to Islam award aims to support Muslims by recognizing and honoring the distinguished contributions of individuals and organizations that have excelled in serving Islam. Previous winners in this category of the King Faisal Prize have included rulers, heads of state, thought leaders and social scientists, as well as many distinguished institutions.
Software boss wins King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam
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Software boss wins King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam
Saudi entertainment expo returns to Riyadh for eighth year
- 500 exhibitors, 23,000 professionals attending May 19-21
- Focus is on the Kingdom’s fast-growing cultural economy
RIYADH: The Saudi Entertainment and Amusement Expo returns for its eighth year from May 19 to 21, bringing together top brands and underscoring the rapid transformation of the Kingdom’s cultural economy under Vision 2030.
The SEA Expo, Saudi Light and Sound Expo, and the newly launched Middle East Museums and Heritage Expo, will take place together at Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center.
A total of 500 exhibitors and 23,000 industry professionals will participate, according to organizers dmg events.
Sarkis Kahwajian, associate vice president – entertainment portfolio at dmg events, said that bringing all the main exhibitors back “reflects the scale and maturity of the sectors being built in Saudi Arabia today.”
“From entertainment destinations and live events to museums and heritage projects, the Kingdom is increasingly recognized as a global meeting point for these industries,” Kahwajian added.
He said the gathering reflects the scale of opportunity as ongoing developments, heritage developments and live event programming drive demand across the Kingdom.
The cultural sector is targeted to contribute 3 percent to the country’s gross domestic product by 2030 and create 346,000 jobs, Kahwajian added.
Visits to entertainment events in Saudi Arabia reached 76.9 million in 2024, representing 6.8 percent annual growth.
The number of businesses operating in the Kingdom’s cultural and entertainment ecosystem surpassed 51,000 in 2023, a 23.6 percent increase since 2021.
Continued strategic partnerships with the General Entertainment Authority and the Ministry of Investment Saudi Arabia have strengthened the expo’s role as an industry platform supporting investment, the organizers stated.
Responding to market demand, the light and sound expo will introduce The Event Production Show, reflecting the industry’s shift toward fully integrated ecosystems supporting concerts, festivals and touring productions.
The Kingdom's event management sector is forecast to grow from $2.6 billion in 2025 to $4.2 billion by 2030, representing a 9.7 percent compound annual growth rate.
The Middle East Museums and Heritage Expo will launch as Saudi Arabia’s first dedicated platform serving the sector.
