BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Name: Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (Shaykh Hamad)
Birth: 1952
Family: First wife, Mariam Bint Hamad Al Thani; seven children; second wife, Mawza bint Nasir al-Misnad; seven children; third wife, Nura Bint Khalid Al Thani; seven children
Nationality: Qatari
Education: Primary and secondary school, Doha, Qatar; nine-month training program, British Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
One of the complications of the 1996 coup was financial, as Shaykh Khalifa had kept billions of dollars in personal accounts, money that by right belonged to the state treasury. It took a good deal of maneuvering and negotiations for the new emir to get some of these funds back to Qatar in a deal reached in 1997. Finally, father and son reconciled, and the former emir returned to Qatar, where he has resided since 2005.
Domestically, Shaykh Hamad rules a country with little political opposition to his regime. The al-Qa’ida terrorist organization and the Islamic extremists have shown few manifestations there. A noted exception, however, came in March 2005, when militants used a car bomb to attack a theater in Doha, killing a British citizen and twelve other people. Another worry over domestic stability comes from concern over the emir’s health; he has already had one kidney transplant.
Since the rise of modern Qatar in the 1870s, the position of emir has alternated among branches of the ruling family, rather than passing from father to son. This has made the appointment of the next emir a sensitive issue, one that has had to be agreed on by the entire family. Shaykh Hamad has put an end to this tradition. In Article Eight of the new permanent constitution, he has limited the succession to his direct line of male descendents. The constitution, however, preserves some of the prerogatives of the Al Thani family by providing that the appointment of the crown prince should come after consultation and approval of members of the ruling family and notables. The tradition in Qatar is that members of the ruling family and other Qatari personalities visit the ruler and heir apparent after they assume these positions and pledge allegiance to thEM
Shaykh Hamad also took steps to open up the media, with a remarkable impact, not only in Qatar but in the Arab world as a whole. The first step was to abolish the ministry of information on 13 March 1998, thus ending formal government control of the press. The second and more important was the establishment of the satellite TV channel, al-Jazeera. The idea of al-Jazeera was first conceived by Shaykh Hamad in 1994, while he was still crown prince. It began broadcasting in November 1996. Initially, the Qatari government donated about $137 million to initiate al-Jazeera, hoping that in time it would become self-supporting. Ten years later, al-Jazeera is still dependent on the government for its financial support, but it has made a huge impact on the Arab world. Al-Jazeera operates independently of the Qatari government with frank and daring reporting; no other TV station is able to broadcast continuously without censorship. Many Arab and other international leaders have protested to the emir and to Foreign Minister HAMAD BIN JASIM BIN JABR AL THANI about its “unfair” reporting, but the Qatari government continues to support it. Other Arab satellite stations have tried to compete with limited success.
Shaykh Hamad has also supported the entry of women into the public sphere in Qatar. Women’s education has spread rapidly and today at Qatar University, an institution with more than 10,000 students, almost 75 percent are women. Qatari women now have the right to vote in municipal and national elections and are appointed to some top jobs. In May 2003, Dr. Shaykha al-Mahmud was appointed minister of education, the first woman to hold a cabinet position in any GCC country. In July 2003, another woman, Dr. Shaykha al-Misnad, a professor of education at Qatar University, was appointed president of the university in 2003, another first for women in the GCC. Women and men sometimes work side by side in government offices and women receive equal salaries and pensions. The progress of Qatari women is due in part to the emir’s second wife, Shaykha MAWZA BINT NASIR AL-MISNAD , who has encouraged her husband to serve the cause of women and is herself a role model. She campaigned hard to secure rights for Qatari women and she participates in important women’s conferences in Qatar, the Gulf, and the world. She also heads the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Social Development, established in 1996. The foundation controls Education City, which includes branches of several major American and other Western universities. The emir’s sister, Princess A’isha bint Khalifa Al Thani, is also active in public life.
The increasing role of women in Qatar has met with some resistance from Islamic conservatives who see the new role for women as contrary to Islamic teaching. When the Emir decided in 1998 to give women the right to vote, protests were heard from Islamists. One of these was Dr. Abd al-Rahman bin Umayr al-Nu’aymi, professor of history at Qatar University. He was so vocal that the emir had him arrested and put in jail, although they were friends. After a thousand days without a trial, Dr. Nu’aimi was released, but he still expresses his conservative Islamic views and heads an important intellectual center.
In the early 1990s, as crown prince, Shaykh Hamad developed a policy for the development of Qatar’s oil and gas that has given the country one of the highest per capita incomes in the world ($46,000 in 2005 and rising steadily). To achieve this development Shaykh Hamad allied himself with the oil giant Mobil, allowing the company to build new oil infrastructure and to acquire the shipping and marketing rights to Qatar gas. This relationship has made Mobil (now ExxonMobil) a leading partner in Qatar’s hydrocarbon industry and integrated the country firmly into the global capitalist economy. The Qatar-Mobil oil and gas deals of the 1990s were influential in persuading Shaykh Hamad to establish closer political and security ties with the United States. These ultimately led to the establishment of al-Udayd military base, one of the largest U.S. military facilities outside the United States.
Today Doha is one of the main centers for international conferences and meetings. For example, Qatar hosted the summit conference for the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in 2002 and the World Trade Organization (WTO) summit in 2001, now known as the Doha Round. Qatar also hosted the 15th Asian Games in December 2006. Work is underway to open roads, hotels, shopping centers, and skyscrapers which are rising in the fashionable al-Dafna area of Doha along the waterfront.
Behind the new Qatari weltpolitik is, besides the emir, his foreign minister, Shaykh Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir Al Thani. There is little doubt that this policy is costing Qatar money in donations, support for foreign countries and causes, and other expenses. In return, Qatar and its emir are getting a strong international image and recognition.
The Qataris under Shaykh Hamad have shown flexibility in solving one of the oldest of Qatar’s problems—its border dispute with Bahrain over several offshore islands. This dispute goes back to the 1930s, but was finally settled on 16 March 2001 when the world court granted Bahrain sovereignty over the Hawar Islands and the Qitat Jarada Shallows. Qatar was awarded sovereignty over Zubara and the shallows surrounding the Islet of Fasht al-Dibal. Both Qatar and Bahrain have stated that they will abide by the court ruling.
Birth: 1952
Family: First wife, Mariam Bint Hamad Al Thani; seven children; second wife, Mawza bint Nasir al-Misnad; seven children; third wife, Nura Bint Khalid Al Thani; seven children
Nationality: Qatari
Education: Primary and secondary school, Doha, Qatar; nine-month training program, British Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY:
- 1977: Appointed crown prince and minister of defense (31 May)
- 1989: Establishes Higher Council of General Development
- 1995: Declares himself emir after ousting his father in bloodless coup
- 1996: Al-Jazeera beings broadcasting
- 1998: Abolishes Ministry of Information, ending formal government control of the press; grants women the right to vote
- 1999: Holds general election for first municipal council
- 2005: Reconciles with father
One of the complications of the 1996 coup was financial, as Shaykh Khalifa had kept billions of dollars in personal accounts, money that by right belonged to the state treasury. It took a good deal of maneuvering and negotiations for the new emir to get some of these funds back to Qatar in a deal reached in 1997. Finally, father and son reconciled, and the former emir returned to Qatar, where he has resided since 2005.
INFLUENCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar adhere to the strict Wahhabi sect of Islam. Shaykh Hamad, however, is liberal in the application of religion and does not impose his religious views on others. Since 2002 he has allowed at least two churches to open in the country. But even as crown prince, the emir did not hesitate to crack down on members of his family involved in cases of corruption.Domestically, Shaykh Hamad rules a country with little political opposition to his regime. The al-Qa’ida terrorist organization and the Islamic extremists have shown few manifestations there. A noted exception, however, came in March 2005, when militants used a car bomb to attack a theater in Doha, killing a British citizen and twelve other people. Another worry over domestic stability comes from concern over the emir’s health; he has already had one kidney transplant.
Since the rise of modern Qatar in the 1870s, the position of emir has alternated among branches of the ruling family, rather than passing from father to son. This has made the appointment of the next emir a sensitive issue, one that has had to be agreed on by the entire family. Shaykh Hamad has put an end to this tradition. In Article Eight of the new permanent constitution, he has limited the succession to his direct line of male descendents. The constitution, however, preserves some of the prerogatives of the Al Thani family by providing that the appointment of the crown prince should come after consultation and approval of members of the ruling family and notables. The tradition in Qatar is that members of the ruling family and other Qatari personalities visit the ruler and heir apparent after they assume these positions and pledge allegiance to thEM
Elections, Media, and the Role of Women
One of Shaykh Hamad’s most surprising reforms came in November 1995, when he announced his intention to hold general elections for the first municipal council in Qatar. These elections were held in March 1999, and were repeated in 2003. The 29-member Qatari Municipal Council was groundbreaking in two ways. First, although other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries had municipal councils, the Qatari council was the first to be elected. Subsequently, other Gulf countries, such as Kuwait, Bahrain, and even Saudi Arabia, followed suit. Second, the emir gave both men and women the right to vote, the first time women in any GCC country were given the vote.Shaykh Hamad also took steps to open up the media, with a remarkable impact, not only in Qatar but in the Arab world as a whole. The first step was to abolish the ministry of information on 13 March 1998, thus ending formal government control of the press. The second and more important was the establishment of the satellite TV channel, al-Jazeera. The idea of al-Jazeera was first conceived by Shaykh Hamad in 1994, while he was still crown prince. It began broadcasting in November 1996. Initially, the Qatari government donated about $137 million to initiate al-Jazeera, hoping that in time it would become self-supporting. Ten years later, al-Jazeera is still dependent on the government for its financial support, but it has made a huge impact on the Arab world. Al-Jazeera operates independently of the Qatari government with frank and daring reporting; no other TV station is able to broadcast continuously without censorship. Many Arab and other international leaders have protested to the emir and to Foreign Minister HAMAD BIN JASIM BIN JABR AL THANI about its “unfair” reporting, but the Qatari government continues to support it. Other Arab satellite stations have tried to compete with limited success.
Shaykh Hamad has also supported the entry of women into the public sphere in Qatar. Women’s education has spread rapidly and today at Qatar University, an institution with more than 10,000 students, almost 75 percent are women. Qatari women now have the right to vote in municipal and national elections and are appointed to some top jobs. In May 2003, Dr. Shaykha al-Mahmud was appointed minister of education, the first woman to hold a cabinet position in any GCC country. In July 2003, another woman, Dr. Shaykha al-Misnad, a professor of education at Qatar University, was appointed president of the university in 2003, another first for women in the GCC. Women and men sometimes work side by side in government offices and women receive equal salaries and pensions. The progress of Qatari women is due in part to the emir’s second wife, Shaykha MAWZA BINT NASIR AL-MISNAD , who has encouraged her husband to serve the cause of women and is herself a role model. She campaigned hard to secure rights for Qatari women and she participates in important women’s conferences in Qatar, the Gulf, and the world. She also heads the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Social Development, established in 1996. The foundation controls Education City, which includes branches of several major American and other Western universities. The emir’s sister, Princess A’isha bint Khalifa Al Thani, is also active in public life.
The increasing role of women in Qatar has met with some resistance from Islamic conservatives who see the new role for women as contrary to Islamic teaching. When the Emir decided in 1998 to give women the right to vote, protests were heard from Islamists. One of these was Dr. Abd al-Rahman bin Umayr al-Nu’aymi, professor of history at Qatar University. He was so vocal that the emir had him arrested and put in jail, although they were friends. After a thousand days without a trial, Dr. Nu’aimi was released, but he still expresses his conservative Islamic views and heads an important intellectual center.
The Qatari Economy
Since the accession of Shaykh Hamad to power, Qatar has experienced enormous economic expansion, particularly in opening up private business and investment opportunities, especially in the development of its hydrocarbon resources. In 1971 Shell discovered Northfield, the world’s largest maritime gas reservoir, about 55 miles northeast of Qatar, and by 2000 Qatar was the world’s third largest producer of liquid gas (Qatar is believed to have the second largest reserves of natural gas in the world). Qatar has also made progress in the social and educational sectors and in building its infrastructure.In the early 1990s, as crown prince, Shaykh Hamad developed a policy for the development of Qatar’s oil and gas that has given the country one of the highest per capita incomes in the world ($46,000 in 2005 and rising steadily). To achieve this development Shaykh Hamad allied himself with the oil giant Mobil, allowing the company to build new oil infrastructure and to acquire the shipping and marketing rights to Qatar gas. This relationship has made Mobil (now ExxonMobil) a leading partner in Qatar’s hydrocarbon industry and integrated the country firmly into the global capitalist economy. The Qatar-Mobil oil and gas deals of the 1990s were influential in persuading Shaykh Hamad to establish closer political and security ties with the United States. These ultimately led to the establishment of al-Udayd military base, one of the largest U.S. military facilities outside the United States.
Today Doha is one of the main centers for international conferences and meetings. For example, Qatar hosted the summit conference for the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in 2002 and the World Trade Organization (WTO) summit in 2001, now known as the Doha Round. Qatar also hosted the 15th Asian Games in December 2006. Work is underway to open roads, hotels, shopping centers, and skyscrapers which are rising in the fashionable al-Dafna area of Doha along the waterfront.
THE WORLD’S PERSPECTIVE
Shaykh Hamad has opened the doors of Qatar to political refugees from many countries in the Arab and Islamic worlds. Among them are former Ba’thist leaders, including members of SADDAM HUSSEIN ’s family who fled Iraq after the fall of the regime in 2003. Qatar is now playing an active role in regional and international politics. Despite Arab protests, the emir allowed Israel to open a trade mission in Doha in 1996, and since then a number of Israeli delegations have visited. The Qatari foreign minister has paid more than one visit to Israel. Qatar was also one of the first GCC countries to reestablish diplomatic relations with Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War. Qatar also frequently plays a role in mediating international disputes elsewhere in the Arab world. In 2003, Qatar also tried unsuccessfully to persuade Hussein to step aside and avoid a military confrontation with the United States. Shaykh Hamad was the only Arab leader to visit Beirut after the August 2006 war between Hizbullah and Israel; while there he created a stir when he praised the “Lebanese resistance” and offered generous donations to help reconstruct Lebanon. Qatar was the only Arab country to offer to participate in the United Nations (UN) international force to be stationed on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the aftermath of the war. In 2006, Qatar obtained a seat as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council.Behind the new Qatari weltpolitik is, besides the emir, his foreign minister, Shaykh Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir Al Thani. There is little doubt that this policy is costing Qatar money in donations, support for foreign countries and causes, and other expenses. In return, Qatar and its emir are getting a strong international image and recognition.
The Qataris under Shaykh Hamad have shown flexibility in solving one of the oldest of Qatar’s problems—its border dispute with Bahrain over several offshore islands. This dispute goes back to the 1930s, but was finally settled on 16 March 2001 when the world court granted Bahrain sovereignty over the Hawar Islands and the Qitat Jarada Shallows. Qatar was awarded sovereignty over Zubara and the shallows surrounding the Islet of Fasht al-Dibal. Both Qatar and Bahrain have stated that they will abide by the court ruling.
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