King Abdullah hands the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam to Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev as Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, looks on at the king�s palace in Riyadh on Sunday. (AP)

JEDDAH, 13 February 2007 � Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah presented the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam to Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev during a ceremony at the royal palace in Riyadh on Sunday night in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other dignitaries.

After accepting the prestigious award from the king, Shaimiev said the prize was an acknowledgement of the reputation of the Russian Federation and its international role as well as its 20 million Muslims. Shaimiev thanked King Abdullah, the King Faisal Foundation (KFF) and the jury for selecting him for the reputable award.

�I am receiving this award with great honor and immense pleasure,� Shaimiev said.

He expressed satisfaction over growing Islamic awareness among Russians. He referred to his visit to the headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah last year and his meeting with OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

�I take this opportunity to express my appreciation and Muslims in my country toward your majesty and the Saudi people for your continuous support and concern,� the Tatarstan president told King Abdullah. �As a result of the wise policies of your government and of the Russian Federation, our countries are getting closer,� he added.

A panel of judges chaired by Crown Prince Sultan picked Shaimiev for the award last month. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of Asir Province and director general of KFF, said Shaimiev was selected in appreciation of �his services to revive Islamic culture in his country, promoting Islamic studies among his people and reconstructing mosques that were destroyed in the past.�

Prince Khaled, who is also the chairman of the King Faisal Prize committee, commended Shaimiev�s wise and moderate policies, which he said had made Tatarstan an example for peaceful coexistence and a model for tolerance.

Shaimiev was reelected president of the country for a third term in March 2001. He is a member of the State Council of the Russian Federation and co-chair of the Higher Council of the United Russia party.

According to the citation read by Abdullah Al-Othaimeen, secretary-general of King Faisal International Prize, Shaimiev rebuilt 1,100 mosques in Tatarstan, set up presses to print the Holy Qur�an and Islamic books and established an Islamic university and several Islamic schools.

He said the Russian Shoura Council of Muftis, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Qasim University and the Academy of Sciences in Tatarstan nominated Shaimiev for the award.

KFF has also declared the winners of its other international prizes. Two professors from Egypt and Morocco shared the Arabic Language and Literature Prize, while two cancer experts from the US and Canada were named co-winners of the Medicine Prize.

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