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Qatar’s former emir Sheikh Hamad dies at 74

Qatar’s rise under Sheikh Hamad included creating Al Jazeera and expanding the country’s political reach from North Africa to Afghanistan, according to state reports.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Europe

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar’s former emir who helped transform the small Gulf state into an international player in diplomacy, media, and investment, has died at 74, Qatar state media reported, according to the Associated Press.

The report said Sheikh Hamad stepped down in June 2013 after 18 years as emir. It described him as the architect of Qatar’s ambitions, which quickly elevated the country from a backwater to an international crossroads.

Under his leadership, Qatar owned London’s Harrods department store and founded the Al Jazeera satellite news network. The account also said Qatar’s political reach later stretched from North Africa to Afghanistan and that the country hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Associated Press added that Qatar’s rise during his tenure sometimes strained relations with regional and Western allies due to its independent-minded policymaking, including close ties to Iran, Hamas, and Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

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