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DUBAI -- Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, today launched ‘Salaam Gateway’, the first and only online platform for all Islamic economy-related industry intelligence, news, information, and data needed by industry-related professionals to advance their businesses and fuel their innovations.

The launch of the portal took place on the opening day of the Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES 2015) taking place at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. An initiative of the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) in partnership with Thomson Reuters, the electronic platform reaffirms the UAE’s status as a hub for the Islamic economy. More significantly, the portal articulates Dubai's strategy for Islamic economy development that was launched in 2013.

Launching the Salaam Gateway, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, "The summit achieves our goal of making Dubai a hub for knowledge in the Islamic domain, and marks a major step towards the globalisation of the Islamic economy."

Highlighting the electronic gateway has been named after ‘Salaam’, the Arabic word for peace, Sheikh Mohammed said the initiative represents a real and sincere message of peace from the UAE to the world. He further said the message "carries a promise for the strength and welfare of the people of the UAE, which is the highest kind of security our people can enjoy."

He added that the "the development of a knowledge ecosystem is critical for the evolution of an Islamic economy."

Sheikh Mohammed said, "It is true that the economic systems evolve with trial and error, but it also needs a knowledge-based scientific approach that drives the development of its sectors, ensures clear processes and goals, and establishes standards that ensure the best results."

Furthermore, Sheikh Mohammed pointed out that "knowledge is the basis of any successful economic activity. Our mission through Salaam Gateway today is to spread the culture of Islamic economy and instil its knowledge and values, and to consolidate its foundations so that the community can be aware of the economic opportunities open to it."

"After a few years, we hope to see the field of Islamic economy taking its rightful place among other fields. The electronic platform for the global Islamic economy is the first step towards achieving this goal," he added.

"Our gift to the new generation is Salaam, which means ‘peace’, a gateway to understanding the knowledge, ideas and ethical values of the Islamic Economy, which can to help professionals innovate and continue the development of the Islamic economy."

A press conference held following the launch of the portal featured a presentation on how the Salaam Gateway works.

Available in both English and Arabic, the platform is an essential B2B tool for the increasingly Shariah-sensitive Muslim professional, providing a comprehensive knowledge resource on all sectors of the Islamic economy. It is also the repository of an extensive database of Islamic economy companies from across the globe.

Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC), said, "The launch of the Islamic economy portal marks yet another significant milestone achieved by DIEDC towards positioning Dubai as the global capital of the Islamic economy. As a first-of-its-kind initiative in the Islamic digital economy, the Salaam Gateway will go a long way in strengthening Dubai’s endeavours to become a global knowledge platform and trusted reference for the fast growing Islamic economy domain."

Nadim Najjar, General Manager of Thomson Reuters in the Middle East and North Africa, said, "Thomson Reuters is proud of its contribution to the launch of the global Islamic economy gateway. This platform will serve as a major source for research, information and data for business and specialists in Islamic economics, and a valuable repository for other concerned parties. We look forward to continue providing the world with smart information that it needs to further accelerate the global growth of Islamic economies."