Assistant Director of the Department of Islamic Research and Studies at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Mishari Ali Al Namlan, speaking at a press conference at the headquarters of the Ministry yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has announced the winners of the latest editions of the Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani Endowment Peer-Reviewed Research Award, recognising outstanding scholarly contributions at both the international and local levels.
More than 70 researchers from 16 countries competed for the international award, while nine Qatari researchers took part in the local category. The winners were revealed during a press conference at the Ministry headquarters yesterday.
Addressing the press conference, Assistant Director of the Department of Islamic Research and Studies, Mishari Ali Al Namlan, said the local award, in its second edition, was won by Qatari researcher Ahmed Mu’ajab Deraa Al Dosari, an official in guidance and counselling at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, for his research on “Social Media and its Impact on the Cultural Identity of Qatari Society.” The local winner received a QR200,000 prize.
He said that the international award in its 16th edition, themed “Jurisprudence of Social Relations in Light of the Stories of the Holy Qur’an,” was jointly awarded to Dr. Ahmed Dhib of Algeria and Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Yahya of Yemen. Each received a prize of QR100,000.
Al Namlan noted that the latest edition attracted more than 70 researchers from 16 countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Eritrea, Türkiye, Pakistan and India.
Meanwhile, nine researchers competed in the local category.
He said the award has succeeded in stimulating scholarly research on contemporary Islamic issues while enriching the Arab and Islamic academic library with high-quality studies, noting that many non-winning submissions are expected to be published due to their academic value.
Al Namlan described the Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani Endowment Award as having evolved into a comprehensive cultural platform rather than a single prize, now encompassing international, local and Imams’ award categories.
He said it is the first and largest peer-reviewed endowment award in Qatar dedicated to Islamic culture, da’wah and intellectual thought, aimed at encouraging scientific research and nurturing future generations of scholars in Sharia sciences. The award bears the name of Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani, the former ruler of Qatar, in recognition of his contributions to promoting knowledge, supporting scholars and preserving Islamic heritage. Looking ahead, Al Namlan announced that the Ministry has approved a major expansion of the award beginning with the 2029 editions, increasing the total prize value across its three branches to QR1.1m.
The international and local categories will each recognise three winners, with prizes of QR250,000, QR150,000, and QR100,000, while the Imams’ Award will offer QR50,000, QR30,000, and QR20,000 for first, second and third places respectively.
The Ministry also unveiled the themes for the next three international award cycles. The 17th edition will examine “The Muslim Ummah and the Post-Globalization Era: A Foresight Study,” with submissions due by January 1, 2027. The 18th edition will focus on “Artificial Intelligence and the Ethics of Technology in Islamic Thought,” exploring the ethical challenges of the digital revolution from an Islamic perspective, with a submission deadline of January 1, 2028. The 19th edition will address “New Spiritual Thought and Its Digital Influence in the Islamic World,” with papers due by January 1, 2029.
For Qatari researchers, the Ministry announced three upcoming local award themes. The third edition will focus on Friday sermons and their role in reforming Qatari society, while the fourth edition will explore financial education for children according to Islamic principles and its impact on family economics.
The fifth edition will examine the value system in Qatari society through the lens of the objectives of Islamic law. Al Namlan also highlighted the recently launched Imams’ Award, which is dedicated to imams, khateebs and muezzins serving under the Ministry. Its inaugural edition addresses value security in Muslim society and the role of imams in protecting identity, morality and culture, while the second edition will focus on developing exemplary leadership, knowledge and ethical character among imams and preachers.
The Ministry said submissions across all award categories must be original, prepared for the competition, comply with recognised research standards, adhere to the announced themes, and maintain a quotation rate of no more than 25%. Joint research submissions by multiple authors are also permitted.
