The list of people who have been granted Saudi nationality, in wake of Thursday's royal decree, covers all vital sectors that have contributed to enriching the local industry in the Kingdom in various areas.
Asharq Al-Awsat received a new list of 27 figures who have been granted the Saudi nationality in recognition of their contributions over the decades to the religious, medical, academic and energy fields:
Mustafa Ceric
Mustafa Ceric is a member of the higher council of the Muslim World League and is among the most senior clerics to sign the Makkah Declaration. He formerly served as the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ceric is one of the most prominent and influential Muslim figures in the Islamic world. He is regularly invited to speak at Muslim and non-Muslim institutions.
Hussein Aldaoudi
Hussein Aldaoudi is Chairman of the Scandinavian Council for Relations, member of the higher council of the Muslim World League and a signatory of the Makkah Declaration.
He is keen on building bridges of communications between religions and promoting moderate Islam.
Mohammed Nimir al-Sammak
Mohammed Nimir al-Sammak is the Secretary General of the Islamic Christian National Dialogue Committee and member of the higher council of the Muslim World League. He is one of the leading Arab thinkers in his field and among the most senior scholars to sign the Makkah Declaration.
A distinguished writer and academic, he has numerous political and cultural publications to his name, covering several issues, including dialogue between the East and West.
Abdullah Saleh Abdullah
Abdullah Saleh Abdullah is a prominent Iraqi academic who enjoys a long career in documenting the history of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.
Radwan Nayef El-Sayed
Radwan Nayef El-Sayed is a researcher in Islamic thought and member of the higher council of the Muslim World League. He is among the most senior signatories of the Makkah Declaration. He is a recipient of the King Faisal Prize in the field of Islamic Studies. He is a regular speaker at conferences on Islamic studies and thought.
Mohammed al-Husseini
Mohammed al-Husseini is Secretary General of the Islamic-Arab Council in Lebanon. He is a prominent Shiite scholar in the Islamic world and beyond, especially in Europe.
He has supported moderation and shunned sectarianism. He has resisted attempts to politicize the Shiite sect for political and ideological aims.
In the medical domain, the Saudi nationality has been granted to:
Imad Mohammed Tleyjeh
Imad Mohammed Tleyjeh is a medical consultant in infectious diseases. He holds several medical certificates, including a diploma in Infectious Diseases from the American Board of Medical Specialties and a certificate in Management and Leadership for Clinicians, from King's Fund, London. He has over 87 medical research publications to his name. He is the recipient of several awards in recognition of his contributions to the medical field.
Farouq Oweida
Farouk Oueida is a consultant cardiovascular surgeon. He is the head of the Cardiac Surgery Department and Consultant CardioVascular Surgeon at the Saud al Babtain Cardiac Center in Saudi Arabia. He has performed over 5,000 open heart surgeries and has over 20 medical research publications to his name.
Imad Uddin Najeh Ezzat Kanaan
Imad Uddin Najeh Ezzat Kanaan is the head of the Department of Neurosciences at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh. He is one of the world's top neurosurgeons. He was nominated by the Canadian Academy as one of the world's top 16 surgeons. He has 115 research publications.
Khaled Hamawi
Khaled Hamawi is a nephrologist and Vice President for Clinical Excellence at the First Health Cluster in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. He is a fellow at the American Society of Nephrology. He received an award in recognition for his contribution to the Multi Organ Transplant Center at he King Fahad Specialist Hospital. He received an award in recognition of his contribution to the Renal Transplant Program King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center.
Mouhamad Ghyath Jamil
Mouhamad Ghyath Jamil is an Critical Care consultant. He is American board certified and currently serves as Acting Director of virtual health care at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center and as assistant professor at the University of North Dakota. He is the former president of the Saudi Sleep Medicine Group. He is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians and Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Walid Khalid Rasheed
Walid Khalid Rasheed is a consultant in Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. He is Australian board certified and has 32 research studies to his name. He worked at several hospitals and medical clinics in New Zealand and Australia over a span of eight years. He oversaw the various hemotological treatments and stem cell transplants. He has extensive contributions in the stem cell domain.
Mustafa Abdullah Saleh
Dr. Mustapha Abdullah has over 235 research papers to his name. He is specialized in child health care. He has earned his education at Sweden's Uppsala University and Sudan's University of Khartoum.
The Saudi nationality has also been granted to several academic figures:
Neçar Merah
Neçar Merah is a Professor at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Co-Director of the Center of Excellence for Scientific Research Collaboration with MIT. He has written over 90 research publications, boasts 11 registered patents and three are being reviewed for registration. He is a recipient of several awards in recognition of his achievements.
Mohammed Abdulaziz Mustafa Habib
Mohammed Abdulaziz Mustafa Habib is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in thermodynamics, heat transfer, combustion and energy and carbon capture. He has over 200 research publications and 24 registered patents. He is a recipient of several awards of distinction.
Bekir Yilbas
Bekir Yilbas is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in Laser Applications, Renewable Energy and Harsh Environment, Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics, Microscale Transport and Fluid Mechanics. He is the author of over 13 books and several book chapters. He boasts 26 patents and is the recipient of several awards in recognition of his work.
Mohammed Abdulkarim Antar
Mohammed Abdulkarim Antar is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in water desalination and has carried out several researches in the domain. He has over 70 research publications and eight patents. Eight others are being reviewed for registration. He is the recipient of several awards in recognition of his work.
Tawfik Abdo Saleh Awadh
Tawfik Abdo Saleh Awadh is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in chemistry, with a focus on materials, nanomaterials, composites, polymeric composite, and hybrid nanomaterials. He has over 340 research publications and several registered patents to his name. His works among the most cited globally in chemistry researches.
Ali Hussein Muqaibel
Ali Hussein Muqaibel is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in communication technology, with a focus on Ultra Wideband Signals and Channels, Channel Characterization, Positioning and Localization and Signal Propagation. He has over 40 research publications to his name and several registered patents. He has received several awards in recognition of his work.
Azzedine Zerguine
Azzedine Zerguine is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized on communication technology, with a focus on Digital Signal Processing, Algorithms and Applications, Adaptive Filtering, Mixed-Norm Algorithms and Applications, Signal Processing in Communications, Interference Cancellation in CDMA systems, Analog and Digital Communications, Echo and Interference Cancellation and Linear and Non-linear Equalization. He has over 80 research publications to his name, 18 registered patents and is a recipient of several awards in recognition of his work.
Samir Mekid
Samir Mekid is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is the Director of Interdisciplinary Research Center for Intelligent Manufacturing and Robotics at the university. His research areas focus on Precision Machine Design, Product Design, Manufacturing Production Automation and Robotics, Mechatronics, Nano and Micro-scale systems, Computer Integrated Manufacturing and others. He has over 70 publications to his name and co-authored numerous books. He has 20 registered patents and is a recipient of several awards in recognition of his work.
Aiman Helmi Al-Maleh
Aiman Helmi Al-Maleh is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in computer engineering. He has over 40 publications and seven registered patents to his name. He is a recipient of several awards in recognition of his work and has carried out numerous projects in implementation of his field of expertise.
Bassam El-Ali
Bassam El-Ali is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in chemistry. He conducts basic and applied research for the synthesis of compounds of value to the petrochemical, commodity chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. He has over 90 publications to his name, 12 registered patents and is the recipient of several awards in recognition of his work.
El-Hadi Mohamed Aggoune
El-Hadi Mohamed Aggoune holds a Masters and Phd from in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington. He is a registered engineer in the United States. His research interests include Power and Energy, Wireless Communication, Wireless Sensors Networks, Neuro-Computing and Scientific Visualization.
He was named Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) Professor of the Year and IEEE Teaching Assistant of the Year by the University of Washington and awarded Boeing Performance Excellence by the the Boeing Company. He has written several research publications, journal, conference and education papers.
Salaheldin Mahmoud Ahmad Elkatatny
Salaheldin Mahmoud Ahmad Elkatatny is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in Petroleum Engineering, with a focus on Drilling Fluid Optimization, Wellbore Clean-up, Oil-Well Cementing, Application of Artificial Intelligence in Petroleum engineering and Geomechanics. He has over 77 research and 100 conference papers to his name. He boasts over 23 registered patents and 13 others that are under review. He is the recipient of several awards.
Mohamed Ahmed Naserdine Mahmoud
Mohamed Ahmed Naserdine Mahmoud is a Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He is specialized in Petroleum Engineering, with a focus on Well stimulation, formation damage, enhanced oil recovery, drilling fluids, modeling of hole cleaning during drilling deviated and horizontal wells and multiphase flow in vertical and horizontal wells. He boasts over 130 research publications and 170 conference papers. He boasts over 60 registered patents and 25 others under review. He is the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of his work.
Moussa Gary Sayed
Born in Saudi Arabia, Moussa Gary Sayed holds a PhD in Radiological Sciences from the University of Toledo Health Sciences in Ohio, a Master’s in Chemistry from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and a Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Medicine Science from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. Sayed holds an EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. He is a certified medical nuclear physicist and currently serves as vice president of the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine.
Sayed has served as director of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Saudi Arabia, and was professor and founding director of graduate programs in biomedical, radiological and imaging sciences at Alfaisal University College of Medicine. He has been a visiting professor at universities in Angola, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Taiwan, Turkey and the UAE, and is a senior Fulbright Scholar to Turkey alumnus.
