Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
His Majesty Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (
Arabic:
الشيخ حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني, born 1952) is a member of the ruling
Al Thani Qatari royal family. He was the ruling
Emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013.
[1]
Hamad seized power in a bloodless palace
Coup d'état in 1995. During his 18-year rule, Qatar's natural gas production reached 77 million tonnes, making Qatar the
richest country in the world with the average income in the country
US$86,440 a year per person. During his reign several sports and diplomatic events took place in Qatar,including
2006 Asian Games,
2012 UN Climate Change Conference,
Doha Agreement,
Hamas–Fatah Doha agreement and the
2022 FIFA World Cup. He established the
Qatar Investment Authority; by 2013 it had invested over $100 billion around the world, most prominent of investments being
The Shard,
Barclays Bank,
Heathrow Airport,
Harrods,
Paris Saint-Germain F.C.,
Volkswagen,
Siemens and
Royal Dutch Shell.
[2]
During Hamad 's rule, Qatar hosted two US military bases. It also remained close with
Hamas and
Iran. He supported and funded rebel movements, particularly in
Libya and
Syria during the
Arab Spring while maintaining political stability at home. Sheikh founded news media group
Al Jazeera, through which he maintained his influence over the
Arab World. He also played a part in negotiations between US and the
Taliban.
[3][4] In June 2013 Sheikh Hamad in his brief televised addressee announced that he would hand power to his 33-year-old son,
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
[5]
Early years and education
Sheikh Hamad was born 1952. His mother died soon after the birth and he was raised by his brother.
[6]
He graduated from
the British Royal Military Academy at
Sandhurst in 1971 and commissioned as a lieutenant colonel.
[7] After graduation he was made commander of a mobile brigade, which later became a force called "Hamad Brigade".
[7] In 1972 Hamad had the rank of general, and became army chief of staff.
[7] Next he was appointed commander-in-chief of Qatar's armed forces with the rank of major general.
[7] In 1977 he was named inister of defense.
[7]
Sheikh Hamad was appointed Heir Apparent of Qatar in 1977 and assumed the post until 1995.
[8]
In the early 1980s, he led the Supreme Planning Council, which sets
Qatar's basic economic and social policies. From 1992 Hamad had a
growing responsibility for the day-to-day running of the country,
[9] including the development of Qatar's oil and natural gas resources. On 27 June 1995, after deposing his father in a
palace coup, Sheikh Hamad became Emir of Qatar and was crowned on 20 June 2000.
[9]
Reign
In the early 1980s, Hamad led the Supreme Planning Council, which
sets Qatar's basic economic and social policies. Starting in 1992,
Hamad's father handed over responsibility for the day-to-day running of
the country,
[9]
including the development of Qatar's oil and natural gas resources.
With the support of his family, Sheikh Hamad took control of the country
in 1995 while his father was on vacation abroad.
[9] While his father
Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was in
Geneva, Switzerland, Hamad bin Khalifa deposed him in a bloodless coup d'état.
[10]
Hamad bin Khalifa engaged an American law firm to freeze his father's
bank accounts abroad, thereby defeating a possible countercoup.
[9] Thereafter, his father lived in exile in France and
Abu Dhabi[10] until he returned to Qatar in 2004.
In a break with the traditional role, his second wife Sheikha
Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned has been a visible advocate for education and children's causes.
[9]
A sportsman
[11] and an accomplished diver, Hamad has played an active role in promoting and developing athletics in Qatar.
[citation needed]
His activism has enhanced the country's involvement and performance in a
number of international competitions, including: winning an
Olympic medal in track and field; hosting a wide variety of international sporting events such as the
15th Asian Games, GCC, Asian and World Youth soccer championships; and initiating the
Qatar Open Tennis Championship which has grown to become one of two premier tennis competitions in the Middle East.
Under his rule the Qatari government helped to fund the Al Jazeera]news network by an
emiri decree.
[12] In an analysis of Al Jazeera,
Hugh Miles
said that diplomats from other countries know that the Emir is the real
power behind Al Jazeera but he also quotes a network spokesman denying
'countless times' this accusation, adding that many independent news
sources also have subsidies from their respective governments without
this implying editorial dabbling and explaining that trying to coerce
the kind of journalists Al Jazeera has would be like trying to 'herd
cats'.
[13] Sheik Hamad is a distant cousin of the network chairman,
Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani,
who was previously Minister of Information in the Emir Al-Thani
government. Following the initial US$137 million grant from Emir
Al-Thani, Al Jazeera had aimed to become self-sufficient through
advertising by 2001, but when this failed to occur, the Emir agreed to
several consecutive loans
[13] on a year-by-year basis (US$30 million in 2004,
[14] according to
Arnaud de Borchgrave). At an 3 October 2001 press conference,
Colin Powell tried to persuade Sheik Hamad to shut down Al Jazeera while The New York based organization
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
commented that in those efforts, "Powell and other U.S. officials were
reportedly upset by the channel re-airing old interviews with bin Laden
and the inclusion of guests that are too critical of the United States
on its programs."
[15][16] The Washington Post reported in 2005 that Sheik Hamad was under pressure to privatize the network.
[17]
On 25 June 2013 Hamad handed over power to his son
Tamin in a televised speech.
[18]
In regards to the shift in power, Hamad said: "The time has come to
open a new page in the journey of our nation that would have a new
generation carry the responsibilities."
[19]
Achievements
Under his reign, the country won the right to stage the
2022 FIFA World Cup in
Doha, the first event of its kind to occur in the
Middle East.
[20] Under the patronage of Sheikh Hamad and his wife
Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Misnad, several world-class academic institutions have opened campuses in Doha, including
Carnegie Mellon University,
Georgetown University,
Northwestern University,
Texas A&M University and
Weill Cornell Medical College.
[1]
Arts
In the arts, Sheikh Hamad established the
Qatar Museums Authority in 2005 which built the
I. M. Pei designed
Museum of Islamic Art Doha. Since opening, Qatar has become the world's biggest contemporary art buyer,
[21] famously purchasing
Cézanne's
The Card Players in 2012 for over $250 million USD.
[22] The Museum Authority sponsored
Takashi Murakami's
EGO exhibit in Doha which ran from 9 February to 24 June 2012,
[23] Damien Hirst's
retrospective at
Tate Modern in Spring and Summer 2012
[24] and his upcoming exhibition Relic, slated to open in Doha in October 2013.
[25] In July 2013, in conjunction with
Miuccia Prada and the
Prada Foundation, QMA launched CURATE, a global search for curatorial talent.
[26] Additionally, the
Doha Film Institute was established in 2009 which in partnership with the
Tribeca Film Festival (founded by
Robert De Niro), created the
Doha Tribeca Film Festival that ran from 2009 - 2012.
[27] The Doha Film Institute is producing
Salma Hayek's upcoming animated adaptation of
Khalil Gibran's classic novel
The Prophet, with "
Lion King" director
Roger Allers co-ordinating the process.
[28] DFI is also credited as a production company on several other films, including
Just Like a Woman starring
Sienna Miller,
[29] The Reluctant Fundamentalist directed by
Mira Nair which opened
69th Venice International Film Festival,
[30] and
Kanye West's
Cruel Summer - a
short film which shot in Doha and premiered during the
2012 Cannes Film Festival.
[31] In February 2013, they announced a $100 million feature film fund with
Participant Media, a production company founded by
billionaire Jeffrey Skoll, who was the first employee and also first president of internet auction firm
eBay.
[32]
Economy
In 2005, under the direction of Sheikh Hamad and the former
Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh
Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the
Qatar Investment Authority was established, a sovereign wealth fund to manage the country's
oil and
natural gas surpluses.
[33] The Qatar Investment Authority and its
subsidiaries have acquired many businesses abroad, including London's iconic department store
Harrods from entrepreneur
Mohammed Al-Fayed,
[34] Paris based department store
Printemps,
[35] French
football club Paris Saint-Germain F.C.,
[36] a former 10% stake in
Porsche,
[37] a 75% stake in
film studio Miramax which they acquired from
Disney,
[38] a 2% stake in
media conglomerate and
Universal Music Group parent company Vivendi,
[39] a $100 million USD investment in Chernin Group - whose founder
Peter Chernin was COO of
News Corp and President of
Fox,
[40] a 1% stake in
luxury goods manufacturer
Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy,
[41] a 6% stake in
Credit Suisse,
[42] a 12.6% stake in
Barclays[43] and several other major companies. They also backed
Glencore's $31 billion USD takeover bid for
Xstrata.
[44] Qatar is the largest property owner in London with their holdings including
Europe's tallest building
The Shard,
Olympic Village and
Park Lane's InterContinental Hotel.
[45] They also own several hotels in
Cannes including the
Majestic Hotel,
Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez and
Carlton Hotel.
[46] QIA was considered to have one of the leading bids in the sales of both
Anschutz Entertainment Group[47] and
Hulu.
[48] As of May 2013, it was reported the Investment Authority is in talks to purchase
Neiman Marcus and
Bergdorf Goodman.
[49]
Sheikh Hamad is famous for helping to establish the first Arab international news network,
Al Jazeera, when he provided a loan of
QAR
500 million ($137 million) to sustain Al Jazeera through its first five
years. Sheikh Hamad's support of Al Jazeera has played an integral role
in sparking the
Arab Spring and creating uprisings in
Tunisia,
Egypt,
Libya,
Yemen and
Syria.
[1]
In October 2012, Sheikh Hamad made a historic visit to Gaza and pledged $400 million USD in humanitarian aid to
Hamas, to build infrastructure projects and hospitals.
[50] Despite Qatar's ties to Hamas, they maintain diplomatic and business relations with
Israel.
[51] Sheikh Hamad provided financial and material support to opposition rebels in both the
Libyan civil war, which led to the overthrow of
Muammar Gaddafi, and the ongoing
Syrian civil war which seeks to oust President
Bashar al-Assad. It has been reported that he has also provided support to
jihadist organizations such as
Ansar Dine[52] and the
Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa,
[52] who are fighting for independence in the
Northern Mali conflict, as well as the
Al-Nusra Front in Syria.
[53]
On June 25, 2013, Sheikh Hamad announced he would be handing over power to his 33-year old son Sheikh
Tamim. The move was seen as groundbreaking for the Middle East, where leaders typically stay in office until their death.
[54]
Foreign relations
The Emir made a $100 million donation for the relief of
New Orleans following the 2005
Hurricane Katrina.
[55] He was a key person in the cease fire during the
2006 Lebanon War
and contributed majorly in the relief of damaged areas. In 2012, the
Emir proposed deploying Arab troops to reduce killings in the
Syrian civil war.
[56] He provided two military bases for foreign troops,
Al Udeid Air Base and
Camp As Sayliyah.
Despite the prevalence of
anti-Israel sentiment within the Arab world, he had previously maintained friendly relations with Israel.
[10] He met
Foreign Minister of Israel Tzipi Livni (25 September 2007) in New York City. This marked the first real attempt by any leader in the
Persian Gulf to pursue dialogue with Israel.
[57][58] However, Qatar severed diplomatic ties with Israel in 2009 in response to Israel's actions during the
Gaza War.
[59] The emir has also expressed his objection to
Israeli settlement policy, especially the
Judaization of Jerusalem.
[60]
Visit to Gaza
In October 2012, the Emir made a landmark visit to Gaza by being the first head of state to go there since the
2006 election of
Hamas and the
imposition of a blockade by Israel.
[61]
He took a flight to Egypt before being driven into Gaza. When there,
the emir was thought to be launching a $254 million reconstruction
project in the territory, and giving an address to the Palestinian
people. Palestine's interior ministry was said to have a "well-prepared
plan" to provide security for the emir during his stay.
[62] Incidents nevertheless continued.
[63]
Criticism and allegations of support to US designated terrorist organizations
In December 2012,
the New York Times accused the Qatari government of funding the
Al-Nusra Front, a U.S. government
designated terrorist organization.
[53] Others
[who?] have noted the Emir's visit to Gaza and meeting with
Hamas, which houses a militant wing,
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
[64] In January 2013, French politicians again accused the Emir's government of giving material support to
Islamist groups in Mali and the French newspaper
Le Canard enchaîné quoted an unnamed source in French military intelligence saying that “The
MNLA, al Qaeda-linked
Ansar Dine and
MUJAO have all received cash from
Doha.”
[52]
Marriages and children
Sheikh Hamad has three wives and twenty-four children, eleven sons and thirteen daughters:
- He married his first wife Sheikha Mariam bint Muhammad Al Thani, who
is the daughter of his first cousin, Sheikh Muhammad bin Hamad bin
Abdullah Al Thani.[65] Hamad and his first wife have two sons and six daughters:
- Sheikh Mishaal bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (born 1972)
- Sheikh Fahd bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
- Sheikha Aisha bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
- Sheikha Mashael bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
- Sheikha Fatima bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
- Sheikha Rawdah bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
- Sheikha Hussah bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
- Sheikha Sara bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani – Program Coordinator for Reach Out to Asia-Qatar (ROTAQ)
- His second wife is Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned (born 8 August 1959, Al-Khor), the daughter of Nasser bin Abdullah Al Missned. Together they have five sons and two daughters:
- Hamad also has a third wife, Sheikha Noora bint Khalid Al-Thani,
daughter of Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, who was the minister of
the interior. Together they have four sons and five daughters:
Titles, styles and honours
Titles and styles
- Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (1952–1972)
- His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (1972–1977)
- His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Heir Apparent of Qatar (1977–1995)
- His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar (1995–2013)
- His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, The Father Emir (2013–Present)[66][67]
Honours and awards
Sheikh Hamad received numerous honours and awards, both during and before his time as Emir:
[68]
Sports investments
Media sources claimed that Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani made a bid for
Manchester United on 11 February 2011. Qatari Holdings offered
£1.65 billion to
Malcolm Glazer, the current American owner of the club.
[78]
This follows a series of endeavors by the Emir and other Qataris into
the World Football community, following Qatar's successful bid for the
2022 World Cup, and the Qatar Foundation's recent £125m shirt deal with
FC Barcelona. In mid-June 2011, rumours resurfaced that
Qatari Holdings
were preparing a £2 Billion takeover bid and that the funding, that the
club had been using for transfers since the start of June, was actually
supplied by the Qataris and not the
Glazer Family.
[79] In 2012 it was rumoured that Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was in bid for
Rangers F.C..
[80] On 30 March 2012 Sheik Al Thani offered to buy
KF Tirana, although the details have yet to be published.
[81]
See also
=========================
His Father
Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emir Sheikh
Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Muhammed Al Thani GCB GCMG[1] (born 1932;
Arabic" خليفة بن حمد الثاني) was the Emir of
Qatar from 27 February 1972 until he was deposed by his son
Hamad bin Khalifa on 27 June 1995.
[2]
Early years
Sheikh Khalifa was born in Rayyan in 1932.
[3][4] He was the son of
Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani and grandson of
Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani.
Career
In 1957, Khalifa was named as the minister of education.
[5] Then he was appointed the deputy Emir.
[5] He was named as the heir apparent on 24 October 1960.
[6] In the 1960s he also served as the prime minister and the minister of finance.
[5]
On 22 February 1972, Sheikh Khalifa became the Emir of
Qatar, seizing power from his cousin and then emir
Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani.
[7] His initial activity was the process of the reorganization of the government.
[4] Next he appointed a foreign minister and an adviser to himself regarding the day-to-day affairs.
[4]
On 19 April 1972, he amended the Constitution and expanded the Cabinet
by appointing more ministers. Diplomatic relations were also established
with a number of the foreign countries at ambassadorial level.
On 18 July 1989, the cabinet was reshuffled for the first time,
replacing most of the previous ministers and making it consist of 15
ministers. The Cabinet was again reshuffled under his premiership on 1
September 1992, expanding it to 17 members.
[8]
The state revenue from oil sector had increased as the result of the
rising of a number of production sharing agreements with foreign oil
companies. Two production-sharing agreements were signed with the
Standard Oil Company of
Ohio in January 1985 and
Amoco in February 1986. In January 1989, another production sharing agreement was signed between Qatar and the
France State owned oil company
Elf Aquitaine.
In the middle of 1991, production of gas in the Qatar North Field, the
world’s largest single field of non-associated gas commenced, which has
proven gas of reserves of around 250 trillion cubic feet and probable
reserves of 500 trillion cubic feet. While the search for finding more
oil deposits in Qatar continued, Qatar built an industrial base in order
to reduce dependence on the oil sector.
Coup
While Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was staying in Geneva, Switzerland, in July 1995, his son Hamad bin Khalifa took the throne.
[9] Khalifa lived in France until he returned to Qatar in 2004.
Views
He was more
conservative than his son, but in general he is thought to be the one who began the country's process of
modernization[citation needed].
Marriages and children
Sheikh Khalifa has five sons and ten daughters from four wives.
- Sheikha Amna bint Hassan bin Abdulla Al Thani
- Second wife from Al Atiyyah family
- Hamad bin Khalifa, Emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013.
- Shaikha Hisssa bint Khalifa
- Shaikha Amina bint Khalifa
- Shaikha Jafla bint Khalifa
- Shaikha Amal bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Rudha bint Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani
- Abdullah bin Khalifah Al Thani, Prime Minister (1996–2007)
- Muhammed bin Khalifa
- Shaikha Aisha bint Khalifa
- Shaikha Shaikha bint Khalifa
- Shaikha Mouza bint Khalifa
- Shaikha Maryam bint Khalifa
- Mouza bint Ali bin Saud Al Thani
- Jassim bin Khalifa
- Shaikha Al Anud bint Khalifa
- Shaikha Nouf bint Khalifa
References
