List of Muslim Nobel laureates


As of 2019, twelve Nobel Prize laureates have been Muslims, more than half in the 21st century. Seven of the twelve laureates have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, while three have been for the sciences. The recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics, Abdus Salam, was a member of the Ahmadiyya community of Pakistan. Aziz Sancar is the second Turkish Nobel laureate and was awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry in the field of molecular biology in 2015.

Chemistry

Two Muslims have been given the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
YearimageLaureateCountry and professionRationalecomment
1999Ahmed Zewail

 Egyptian scientistThe 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Ahmed Zewail "for his studies of the transition states of chemical reactions using femtosecond spectroscopy".He is the first Muslim chemist to be awarded the Nobel Prize and the second Muslim scientist.
2015Aziz Sancar

 Turkish scientistThe 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Aziz Sancar "for mechanistic studies of DNA repair"He is the first Turkish chemist, and the second Turkish to date to be awarded the Nobel Prize and the third Muslim scientist.

Literature

Two Muslims have been given the Nobel Prize in Literature.
YearimageLaureateCountry and professionRationalecomment
1988Naguib Mahfouz

 Egyptian author, noted for his contribution to modern Arabic literatureThe 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature was given to Naguib Mahfouz "who, through works rich in nuance—now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous—has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind".The first Muslim author to receive such a prize.
2006Orhan Pamuk Turkish author famous for his novels My Name Is Red and SnowThe 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Orhan Pamuk "who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures".The first Turk to receive the Nobel Prize, He describes himself as a Cultural Muslim who associates the historical and cultural identification with the religion while not believing in a personal connection to God.

Peace

Seven Muslims have been given the Nobel Peace Prize.
YearimageLaureateCountry and professionRationalecomment
1978Anwar al-Sadat Egyptian PresidentHe, along with Enver Hoxha was awarded 1978 Nobel Peace Prize "for their contribution to the two frame agreements on peace in the Middle East, and on peace between Egypt and Albania, which were signed at Tirana on September 17, 1978".The first Muslim to receive a Nobel Prize.
1994Yasser Arafat Palestinian politicianThe 1994 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin "for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East".The only Muslim Palestinian to receive a Nobel Prize.
2003Shirin Ebadi Iranian Human Rights ActivistThe 2003 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Ebadi "for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children".The only Iranian to receive a Nobel Prize. She was also the first Muslim woman to receive such an honor. Note that Doris Lessing born and raised for 5 years in modern day Iran is a fellow laureate.
2005Mohamed El Baradei Egyptian diplomatThe 2005 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to El Baradei and IAEA "for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way".He was the second Egyptian to be awarded Nobel Peace Prize.
2006Muhammad Yunus Bangladeshi economist and founder of Grameen Bank.The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Yunus and Grameen Bank "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below".The first Bangladeshi and Bengali Muslim Nobel laureate, and overall, the third person from Bengal to win a Nobel prize.
2011Tawakel Karman Human rights activist based in Yemen. A prominent leader in the Arab Spring.The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly given to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Karman "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work".The first Arab woman and only Yemeni to receive a Nobel Prize.
2014Malala Yousafzai At the age of 17, Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Prize recipient ever. She is also the second Pakistani and first ethnic Pashtun to be awarded a Nobel Prize.

Physics

One Muslim has been given the Nobel Prize in Physics.
YearimageLaureateCountry and professionRationalecomment
1979Mohammad Abdus Salam

 Pakistani physicistThe 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Sheldon Lee Glashow, Salam, and Steven Weinberg "for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current".He is the only Pakistani scientist to be awarded the Nobel Prize. He was a member of the world wide Ahmadiyya Muslim community and as such not considered a Muslim by the government of Pakistan.

Articles

  • Mysticism in Contemporary Islamic Political Thought: Orhan Pamuk and Abdolkarim Soroush by John von Heyking, University of Lethbridge
  • "Islam, Melancholy, and Sad, Concrete Minarets: The Futility of Narratives" in Orhan Pamuk's The Black Book by Ian Almond

    Books

  • The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times by Mohamed El Baradei.
  • Islam, Orientalism and Intellectual History: Modernity and the Politics of Exclusion since Ibn Khaldun by Mohammad R. Salama.
  • Orhan Pamuk and the Politics of Turkish Identity: From Islam to Istanbul by Erdag Goknar,, Routledge Publication.

    Biography

  • Cosmic Anger: Abdus Salam – The First Muslim Nobel Scientist. by Gordon Fraser ,.
  • Yasser Arafat by George Headlam..
  • Anwar Sadat: Visionary Who Dared by Joseph Finklestone.

    Autobiography

  • Iran Awakening: One Woman's Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country by Shirin Ebadi.
  • Ahmed Zewail Autobiography.
  • Banker to the Poor: The Autobiography of Muhammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank..
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