Back حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني Arabic حمد بن خليفة ال ثانى ARZ Həməd ibn Xəlifə Sani Azerbaijani حمد بن خلیفه آل ثانی AZB Хамад бін Халіфа Аль Тані Byelorussian Хамад бин Халифа ал-Тани Bulgarian হামাদ বিন খলিফা আলে সানি Bengali/Bangla Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Catalan Hamad bin Chalífa Ál Thání Czech Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani Danish
| Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Hamad in 2013 | |
| Emir of Qatar | |
| Reign | 27 June 1995 – 25 June 2013 |
| Predecessor | Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani |
| Successor | Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani |
| Prime Minister | |
| Born | 1 January 1952 Doha, Qatar |
| Spouse |
|
| Issue | See link |
| House | Thani |
| Father | Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani |
| Mother | Aisha bint Hamad Al Attiyah |
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani (Arabic: حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني; born 1 January 1952) is a member of the ruling Al Thani Qatari royal family. He was the ruling Emir of Qatar from 1995 until 2013 when he abdicated the throne, handing power to his fourth son Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who was born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nassir.[1][2] The Qatari government refers to him as the Father Emir.[3]
Hamad seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, 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 per capita with the average income in the country US$86,440 a year per person.[4] During his reign, several sports and diplomatic events took place in Qatar, including the 2006 Asian Games, 2012 UN Climate Change Conference, Doha Agreement, Fatah–Hamas Doha Agreement, and it was decided that the 2022 FIFA World Cup would be held in the country. He established the Qatar Investment Authority. By 2013, it had invested over $100 billion around the world, most prominently in The Shard, Barclays Bank, Heathrow Airport, Harrods, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Volkswagen, Siemens. and Royal Dutch Shell.[5]
Hamad ruled a sovereign regime in Qatar without any support from opposition political parties.[6][7][8] During Hamad's rule, Qatar hosted two U.S. military bases. It also maintained relations with Iran. The Sheikh founded news media group Al Jazeera. He also played a part in negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban.[9][10] In June 2013, Hamad, in a brief televised address, announced that he would hand power to his fourth son, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.[11]
- ^ "Qatar: A tiny country asserts powerful influence", CBS 60 Minutes via youtube.com, 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Qatar: Freedom in the World 2020 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ "Qatar's Father Emir flown to Switzerland to treat broken leg". Doha News. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ "Emir of Qatar profile: Who is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, how did he turn Qatar into the world's richest nation and why has he decided to abdicate?". The Independent. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "Middle East Monitor". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ Kamrava, Mehran (2009). "Royal Factionalism and Political Liberalization in Qatar". Middle East Journal. 63 (3): 401–420. doi:10.3751/63.3.13. ISSN 0026-3141. JSTOR 20622928. S2CID 154521643.
- ^ "Qatari draft media law criticized by rights group". Reuters. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ Freedman, Rosa (2015). Failing to Protect: The UN and the Politicization of Human Rights. Oxford University Press. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-19-061300-6.
- ^ Windfuhr, Volkhard; Zand, Bernhard (29 March 2009). "SPIEGEL Interview with the Emir of Qatar – 'We Are Coming to Invest'". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ Cohen, Noam (1 January 2009). "Al Jazeera provides an inside look at Gaza conflict". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad hands power to son Tamim". BBC News. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2021.