The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, looks on before his meeting with Indian Prime Minster Manmohan Singh (not in picture) in New Delhi, India April 14, 2005. REUTERS/B Mathur/File Photo
DOHA – Qatar’s former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, a sweeping modernizer who seized power in 1995 and broke with tradition to hand it over to his son 18 years later, has died at the age of 74.
Qatar’s top government body, the Amiri Diwan, announced that Sheikh Hamad had died on Sunday morning. It did not mention the cause of his death.
The Qatar that the current Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani inherited was already well on its way to being remade by his father.
Sheikh Hamad presided over one of the most consequential periods in the country’s history, driving a rapid transformation of the tiny desert state that reshaped its economy, global profile and political ambition.
A forceful, independent-minded personality, he explained in a speech to mark his abdication in 2013 that he wanted a new generation “with their innovative ideas and active energies” to take over.
Sheikh Hamad was the architect of Qatar’s effort to develop its liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure that allowed it to get its vast gas reserves to global markets, turning the state into one of the world’s largest exporters and laying the foundations for its vast wealth.
He established media network Al Jazeera, which gave Qatar an outsized voice in Arab politics and projected its influence far beyond the Gulf. He also oversaw the successful bid to host the 2022 soccer World Cup, a move that firmly put Qatar on the global stage and accelerated a decade of infrastructure building that remade the capital Doha.
LAYING GROUNDWORK FOR QATAR’S ROLE AS PEACE BROKER
His foreign policy carved out a role for Qatar as a mediator, brokering talks in conflicts from Lebanon to Yemen and Darfur while maintaining ties with the United States — hosting U.S. Central Command — as well as Iran and groups aligned with it. That balancing act laid the groundwork for Qatar’s current role in negotiations between the United States and Iran, and in its years-long efforts to halt the war in Gaza.
Qatar under Sheikh Hamad played a prominent and controversial role during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, using its resources and outsized influence to back revolutionary movements and Islamist groups across the region. While Doha portrayed its policy as support for popular demands for political change, critics accused it — and Sheikh Hamad — of selectively backing factions aligned with its interests, particularly groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
This put Sheikh Hamad at odds with fellow Gulf monarchs in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which viewed many of these movements as a threat to regional stability and monarchical rule. The activism elevated Qatar’s regional profile but also deepened tensions with its neighbours and left a legacy that continues to shape Gulf politics.
COUP AND ATTEMPTED COUNTER-COUP
Sheikh Hamad’s abdication was intended to ensure a smooth succession and minimise discord within a ruling family with a long history of palace intrigueHe himself seized power from his father in a bloodless coup in 1995. A year later, he survived an attempted counter-coup that analysts attributed to his father, who had come to power in similar fashion in 1972 by ousting his cousin.
One of Sheikh Hamad’s most consequential partners in Qatar’s modernization drive was one of his wives, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who fostered a public profile that was rare for a Gulf ruler’s wife. Sheikha Moza’s influence rose alongside his efforts to reposition the state at home and abroad.
While Sheikh Hamad pushed through political and economic reforms that reshaped the country’s trajectory, she advanced a parallel agenda in education, research and social development.
When the emir took power, he was the youngest leader in the region at 44. He was viewed as less aloof than other Gulf Arab leaders, and could often be found at his favorite café in Doha’s souq, talking with the patrons.
About Sheikha Moza bint Nasser
Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, mother of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the current ruler of Qatar
She is the co-founder and chair of the Qatar Foundation (QF) , the largest state-owned nonprofit organization in the country.
She is the mother of the current emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Sheikha Moza is the daughter of Nasser bin Abdullah al-Misnad,[4] a well-known opposition activist and former head of the Al-Muhannada confederation of Bani Hajer.
Born in Qatar, she spent much of her childhood in Kuwait during her father’s exile following imprisonment for political activities and defiance against the policies of the deposed emir Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani.
Nasser returned to Qatar with his immediate family in 1977, the same year Moza married Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the heir apparent of Qatar.Sheikha Moza is the second of his three wives.[
Sheikha Moza received a BA in Sociology from Qatar University in 1986, and holds a MA in Public Policy in Islam from Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
She has dedicated her efforts to advancing education reforms in Qatar through the QF. This non-profit organization was established by her husband the same year he assumed the role of emir.Sheikha Moza established Education Above All in 2012, aiming to make education accessible to marginalized children globally.
Reuters/ News Agencies
