Hamad bin Khalifa

Infobox Monarch
name = Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
الشيخ حمد بن خليفة آلثاني
title = Emir of Qatar


caption = With George W. Bush
reign = 27 June 1995 – present
coronation =
predecessor = Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani
successor =
suc-type = Heir-Apparent
heir = Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani
consort = Bint Nasser Al-Missned
issue =
royal house = House of Thani
royal anthem =
father = Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani
mother =
date of birth = 1952
place of birth = Doha, Qatar
date of death =
place of death =
buried =
religion = Sunni Islam|

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani ( _ar. الشيخ حمد بن خليفة آلثاني) became the Emir of the State of Qatar on June 26 1995 after deposing his father, who was vacationing in Switzerland at the time.

Sheikh Hamad was acclaimed Crown Prince in 1977 and at the same time was appointed Minister of Defense. In the early 1980s he led the Supreme Planning Council, which sets the Qatar's basic economic and social policies. Since 1992, Sheikh Hamad has selected Qatar's cabinet and been responsible for administering the country's day-to-day affairs. He has also led the development of Qatar's oil and natural gas resources.

Sheikh Hamad (born in 1952) began his education in Qatar and later attended Sandhurst Military Academy in England. Upon his graduation in 1971, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Qatari armed forces and commanded the 1st Mobile Battalion, which has since been designated the "Hamad Mobile Battalion" in his honor.

Sheikh Hamad was later promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Commander in Chief of the Qatari Armed Forces. He oversaw an extensive program to modernize Qatar's military, increasing manpower, creating new units, updating weaponry, and improving training. The effects of this program were evident during the Gulf War when Qatari forces helped liberate Kuwait and led the battle for the recapture of the Saudi town of Khafji.

A keen sportsman and an accomplished diver, Sheikh Hamad has played an active role in promoting and developing athletics in Qatar. 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.

During the last several years, Sheikh Hamad has represented Qatar on official state visits and at numerous Gulf and international forums. His role as a leader and diplomat has earned him worldwide honors: the Order of Oman from the Sultanate of Oman, the Order of the Nile from Egypt, the Order of King Abdul Aziz from Saudi Arabia, the Indonesian Order of Ibn 'Azeem, the Order of Francisco de Miranda from Venezuela, the Order of St. Michael and St. George from Britain, the Order of Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur from France, the Mohammedi Medal from Morocco and the Lebanese Order of Merit.

Politics

In 1997, under Sheik Hamad's rule, Qatar became the second country in the Persian Gulf where women gained the right to vote (women in Iran were given the right to vote during the White Revolution in 1963). [http://www.channel4.com/more4/news/news-opinion-feature.jsp?id=527
(mms://a1187.v15478d.c15478.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1187/15478/v0004/origin.channel4.com/news/2007/02/08_saudi.wmv)]

Al Jazeera funding

In 1996 Al Jazeera in Arabic was launched as one of the most influential and debatable Arabic news network. Further to the initial US$ 150 million grant from the Emir of Qatar, Al Jazeera had aimed to become self-sufficient through advertising by 2001, but when this failed to occur, the Emir agreed to continue subsidizing it on a year-by-year basis (US$30 million in 2004, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060427171936/http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20040506-085117-7996r.htm Tutwiler's mission impossible] ] according to Arnaud de Borchgrave). Other major sources of income include advertising, cable subscription fees, broadcasting deals with other companies, and sale of footage. [According to "pravda.ru" [http://english.pravda.ru/main/2001/12/11/23390.html] , a tabloid-style website unrelated to the original Pravda, "Al Jazeera received $20,000 per minute for Bin Laden's speech."] In 2000, advertising accounted for 40% of the station's revenue. [PDFlink| [http://web.archive.org/web/20050515103052/http://cms.mit.edu/mit3/papers/byrd.pdf Al-Jazeera - "The opinion, and the other opinion" - Sustaining a Free Press in the Middle East] |966 KiB by Kahlil Byrd and Theresse Kawarabayashi; MIT's Media in Transition 3; published May 2-4, 2003]

ee also

*List of emirs of Qatar
*Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned

References

External links

* [http://www.diwan.gov.qa/ official site of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani]
* [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Qatar/qatar6.htm The Al-Thani Dynasty]
* [http://www.maigriffin.com/gallery/port%20qatar%20new%20emir.jpgportrait of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani]
* [http://www.denverpost.com/excerpts/ci_0002706197 Denver Post article on His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his rise to power]
* [http://www.mozahbintnasser.com.qa/ official site of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned]
* [http://yachts.monacoeye.com/yachtsbysize/pages/stargate01.html Stargate] Photo of Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa's yacht no. 1
* [http://yachts.monacoeye.com/yachtsbysize/pages/constellation01.html Constellation] Photo of Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa's yacht no. 2