SMIIC sets up committees for halal supply chain, conformity assessments

The Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries (SMIIC) has announced two new committees.

The Committee on Standards for Conformity Assessment (SMIIC/CCA) has been established to prepare guides/standards on criteria for bodies involved in testing, calibration, certification, inspection, accreditation, their operation and assessment, and other related standards and especially halal conformity assessment and accreditation guidelines or standards. The first meeting of SMIIC/CCA will be on 23 and 24 March 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Halal Supply Chain (TC10) committee has been established in the scope of the development of shari'ah compliant (halalan toyyiban) standard on all handling practices along the supply chain activities, namely handling in sourcing, transportating (i.e. road, rail, air and sea transport), manufacturing, loading/unloading, warehousing/storage and retailing.

Browse Archaeological Survey of India exhibits online

Source: Google Cultural Institute. A 360-degree exploration of the Taj Mahal is available at the Archaeological Survey of India minisite at the Google Cultural Institute.

The Archaeological Survey of India is part of the Google Cultural Institute, enabling Internet users to view historical photographs of various landmarks online, including photographs of the Taj Mahal from the late 1800s up to the present day, views of various mosques, including the Qutubuddin Mosque and the Moti Masjid, and several perspectives of Humayun's Tomb.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under the Ministry of Culture of India, is the premier organisation for archaeological research and the protection of the nation's cultural heritage.

Interested?

Visit the Archaeological Survey of India at the Google Cultural Institute, including the 360 degree museum views of the Taj Mahal

Read the Suroor Asia blog post on the al Sabah Collection at the Google Cultural Institute

View the al Sabah Collection at the Google Cultural Institute

Source: al Sabah Collection, from the Google Cultural Institute. Captioned. 'Inscribed Royal Gemstone, 1,001 AD'. Rectangular emerald stone, w3.35 x h2.92 cm, inscribed with seven lines of 'naskhi' script from the Quran (2:255). View this item online.

The al Sabah Collection, regarded by international authorities as one of a small handful of the most comprehensive collections of Islamic art in the world.  has 48 items available for viewing online via the Google Cultural Institute.

The Collection was begun in 1975 when Sheikh Nasser Sabah al Ahmed al Sabah purchased a mid-14th century enamelled glass bottle from a London art gallery. Curated by Sheikh Nasser and his wife Sheikha Hussah Sabah al Salem al Sabah, the Collection was moved in 1983 from Sheikh Nasser’s private residence to a new location at the Kuwait National Museum. The building became known as Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah (DAI), and Sheikha Hussah became the organisation’s Director General. Since its inception in 1983, DAI has diversified from managing the loan of the al Sabah Collection of art from the Islamic world to the State of Kuwait to becoming an internationally-recognised cultural organisation.

The Collection has now grown to more than 30,000 objects representing the full geographic and chronological range of the Islamic world, from Spain to China, from the 7th to 19th centuries. It features all aspects of art, including arms and armour, calligraphy, carpets and textiles, ceramics, coins, ivory, jewellery, extraordinary manuscripts and miniatures, metalwork, scientific instruments, stone and stucco, wood and glass. The Collection actively publishes volumes focused on its holdings, organises special exhibitions, and loans objects to exhibitions elsewhere in the world.

Interested?

View the Suroor Asia blog post on the Google Cultural Institute and the Aan Collection

Professor Jackie Ying wins Mustafa Prize award

Source: Mustafa Prize web page. Professor Ying is on the left, and Professor Yaghi on the right.

The 2015 Mustafa Prize winners are Professor Jackie Ying, Executive Director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) of A*STAR in Singapore and Jordanian-American scientist Professor Omar Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley for the Nano Science and Nanotechnologies Award. Each laureate received US$500,000 in prize money and a medal at an award ceremony in Tehran, Iran on December 25.

Source: Mustafa Prize. The Mustafa Prize logo.

The Mustafa Prize is granted to research that has improved human life and made tangible and cutting-edge innovations on the boundaries of science or has presented new scientific methodology. Besides the Top Scientific Achievement category, the Mustafa Prize also recognises achievements in the Life Science and Medical Sciences, Nano Science and Nanotechnologies, and Information and Communication Science and Technologies categories.

Dr Hassan Zohoor, Chairman of the science committee of Mustafa Prize, said, "In the first three categories, the nominees must be citizens of one of the 57 Islamic countries while in the fourth category the nominee must be Muslim but being citizen of an Islamic country is not mandatory.”
He explained, “Laureates of this prize are selected among 100 works that have been selected for the final arbitration by the jury. These works must be original and innovative and results in a tangible effect in human lives. Also, the nominated scientists must have good international reputation. At the end, and with regard to the criterion described earlier, two scientists were selected in the fields of nano-biotechnology sciences and nanoscience and nanotechnology.”

Professor Ying won the inaugural  award for “her great scientific and technological contributions and achievements to the synthesis of well-designed advanced nanostructured materials and systems, nanostructured biomaterials and miniaturised biosystems for various interesting applications.”

“Research is something that I have been really passionate about. It combines the search for an unknown solution to grand challenges that can impact our lives, with the drive to innovate, translate and commercialise. Perhaps the most fulfilling part of the work is the nurturing of young scientists to share my vision and mission to make a difference through our work,” said Professor Ying.

Professor Ying’s research has led to many new materials and systems with unique functionalities and size-dependent properties that tackle major challenges in medicine, chemistry and energy. These inventions have been applied towards drug delivery, cell and tissue engineering, biosensing and diagnostics, catalysis and pharmaceuticals synthesis, battery and fuel cell systems. She has 340 publications in leading journals, and over 150 primary patents issued or pending, many of which have been successfully licensed for commercialisation by multinational companies and startups.

“Amongst the many novel outcomes of her work, Professor Ying’s contribution to the development of stimuli-responsive polymeric nanoparticles that deliver insulin to diabetic patients only when their blood glucose levels are high, without the need for external blood glucose monitoring, is considered an outstanding scientific approach of great promise for improving the quality of life of mankind in the near future,” said Professor Hossein Zohour, Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Mustafa Prize.

The glucose-sensitive nanoparticles developed by Professor Ying’s laboratory can auto-regulate the release of insulin depending on the blood glucose levels. This drug delivery system bypasses the need for blood glucose monitoring by finger pricks, and allows insulin to be delivered orally or by nasal passage, instead of through injection. This technology would greatly benefit the diabetic patients by helping to prevent hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic conditions and the associated organ damage.

Professor Ying co-founded SmartCells, to commercialise this nanomedicine. This spinoff company was acquired by Merck in 2010, with potential aggregate payments in excess of US$500 million to further develop the technology for clinical trials.

The Mustafa Prize was established in 2013 to recognise leading researchers and scientists of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states, as well as Muslim researchers from around the world. Presented biennially by the Iranian government, The Mustafa Prize aims to encourage education and research by playing a pioneering role in developing regional relations between science and technology institutions working in the OIC member countries. It also seeks to improve scientific relations between academics and researchers in order to facilitate the growth of science in the OIC member states, the second largest inter-governmental organisation in the world after the United Nations.

posted from Bloggeroid

Explore works from Pakistan in the Aan Collection via the Google Cultural Institute

Source: Google Cultural Institute website.

The Google Cultural Institute has placed images of artworks, collections and stories from around the world online so that they can be explored in detail and shared socially.

One such collection is the Opening Exhibition of the AAN Collection on the Google Cultural Institute, Pakistan, Moment/Momentum – Contemporary Art From Pakistan, which debuted in April 2015. The exhibition focuses on the works of Modernist Zahoor-Ul-Akhlaque and the contemporary artists who followed his lead. The exhibition included the works of Ul-Akhlaque and the contemporary artworks of Shahzia Sikander, Imran Qureshi, Rashid Rana, Aisha Khalid, Naiza Khan and Faiza Butt.

Believed to be the largest and most comprehensive collection of Pakistan visual art to date, the AAN collection is a private collection of Asian art primarily focused on Pakistani modern and contemporary art. The collection consists of works ranging from third century Gandhara to contemporary artworks.

The title of the collection, ‘AAN’, is derived from an Urdu word (Aan) and literally means both ‘honour’ as well as ‘a moment’. The title also fits in well with the acronym of the collectors names. The collection honours the tradition, creativity and ingenuity of Pakistani artists.

There are sculptures, works on paper and canvas, photographic works, video installations, light boxes and other new media works in this collection. The largest work is Desperately Seeking Paradise by Rashid Rana, a cubic sculpture which reaches over ten feet in height, while the smallest works are Mughal miniatures painted on ivory as well as contemporary miniatures by Ahsan Jamal which are 3" in diameter.

According to the collectors, “What makes it such a unique as well as robust collection is that the works have been collected because we loved them and with a vision to capture the art of those before us as well as of those artists who live and work in this time. A snapshot of the time we exist in as well as a nod to our past."

Eton Institute to help Arabic learners with Emirati Arabic from November to December 2015

Source: Eton Institute website.

In celebration of the 44th UAE National Day, Eton Institute, a learning and development solutions provider, offers to send a new word or phrase in Emirati Arabic every day from 1 November to 2 December 2015 via a chosen social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Whatsapp.

Interested?

To get the Arabic phrases through Whatsapp, add ‘Eton Institute’ to your contact list:  +971 55 566 1483, then send them your name via a WhatsApp message

To get the Arabic phrases on other social media, follow Eton Institute on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Viki or YouTube.

Learn Arabic with the Langu.ag app

Source: Play
Store.

The Eton Institute has introduced the Langu.ag language learning mobile app for iOS and Android.

The app supports over 50 languages, including Arabic, and allows words to be scanned, spoken or typed in for translation. Users can also join a language chat room and interact with people from around the world to practice their language skills.

Interested?

Download the app

Ethica calls for more job experience opportunities in Islamic finance

Dubai’s leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, has listed 2016 as the year Dubai should establish itself as the capital of the US$8 trillion global Islamic economy. What this means in practical terms for the world’s 2 billion Muslims was the theme of December's inaugural Industry and University Partnership (I-UP) Forum 2014 at Dubai Knowledge Village.

At the forum Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance, a training and certification institute, commented on the need for more internship opportunities and other job creation initiatives. 

Azhar Mirza, CEO of Jardine Human Capital, noted, “Ethica is at the front lines of job training and they made some important points. There seems to be a lack of job creation in the space. To an outsider and on the charts and tables there is a perception that there are plenty of job opportunities in the space. The reality is far different. There are in fact exceptionally well qualified and experienced individuals who are unable to find positions in suitable organizations. Companies are simply unwilling to offer internship or work experience opportunities.”

In addition to a need for more hiring opportunities, delegates discussed the need for legitimate third-party standards. Some noted that if Dubai seeks to establish itself as the capital of the Islamic economy, it must first begin regulating its own banks for minimal shari'ah compliance, at least to the satisfaction of AAOIFI, the Islamic finance standard followed by over 90% of the world’s Islamic finance jurisdictions. 

One Islamic finance analyst said: "In Islamic finance, we don’t need more institutions, we need more quality. The level of Islamic finance training is either too academic, and therefore not sufficiently practical, or too far removed from Islamic finance, focusing entirely on banking, as the case in most universities with strong finance programmes but almost no complementary Islamic finance programme.”