Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (; born 3 June 1980) is Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013.
Born in Doha, he is the fourth son of the previous emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and his second wife, Moza bint Nasser. Tamim became heir apparent in 2003 after his older brother Sheikh Jassim renounced his claim to the throne.
Early life and education Tamim bin Hamad was born on 3 June 1980 in Doha, Qatar. He is the fourth son of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and second son of Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, Hamad's second wife. Tamim was educated at the UK's Sherborne School (International College) in Dorset, and at Harrow School, where he sat his A-Levels in 1997. He then attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduating in 1998.
Career Sheikh Tamim was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Qatar Armed Forces upon graduation from Sandhurst. He became the heir apparent to the Qatari throne on 5 August 2003, when his elder brother Sheikh Jassim renounced his claim to the title. Since then he was groomed to take over rule, working in top security and economics posts. On 5 August 2003, he was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of Qatar's armed forces.
Sheikh Tamim promoted sport as part of Qatar's bid to raise its international profile. In 2005 he founded Oryx Qatar Sports Investments, which owns Paris Saint-Germain F.C. among other investments. In 2006, he chaired the organizing committee of the 15th Asian Games in Doha. Under his leadership, all member countries attended the event for the first time in its history. That year's Al Ahram voted Tamim "the best sport personality in the Arab world". Under his guidance, Qatar won the rights to host the 2014 FINA Swimming World Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Tamim is chairman of the National Olympic Committee. At the 113th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February 2002, he was elected as a member of the IOC. He headed Doha's bid for the 2020 Olympics. The country hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar is estimated to have spent around $200 billion on infrastructure in preparation for the event.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Evaluation Committee completed its tour to Doha in November 2020, and confirmed that the city will have much to offer for the Asian Games, and that they were satisfied with the prioritizing and support from Tamim. At the 39th General Assembly of the OCA, President Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah announced that Doha would host the 2030 Asian Games.
Sheikh Tamim heads the Qatar Investment Authority board of directors. Under his leadership, the fund has invested billions in British businesses. It owns large stakes in Barclays Bank, Sainsbury's, and Harrods. The fund also owns a 95% share of Europe's fourth tallest building, the Shard, a skyscraper in London.
Tamim has also held a number of other posts, including: Head of the Upper Council of the Environment and Natural Sanctuaries. Chairman of the Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Reserves. Chairman of the Supreme Education Council. Chairman of the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology. Chairman of the board of directors of Public Works Authority (Ashghal) and the Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA). Chairman of the board of regents of Qatar University. Deputy chairman of the Ruling Family Council. Vice president of the Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment. Deputy chairman of the High Committee for Coordination and Follow Up. Member of "Sports for All".
Reign
On 25 June 2013, Tamim's father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, revealed to close relatives and aides that he planned to step down as the Emir of Qatar. Tamim then became the Emir of Qatar after his father handed over power in a televised speech. While the previous two Qatari rulers from the Al Thani family ascended to power in bloodless coups, Tamim was the first to ascend to power via an abdication. According to The Economist, of his siblings who had previously contended for the throne, "One played too much, the other prayed too much." The transition of power went smoothly, as family members hold many of Qatar's top posts.
According to a diplomatic source close to the Al Thani family, Sheikh Tamim has "a strong personality" that allowed him to "establish himself within" the ruling House of Thani. He became crown prince on 5 August 2003, after his brother Sheikh Jassim had stepped down. Diplomats quoted by the BBC argued that Jassim, who served as crown prince for eight years, had hoped to expand his political powers. In 2003, Sheikh Jassim stepped down from the position of crown prince. According to Qatar News Agency Jassim sent a letter to his father saying, "The time is appropriate to step down and prepare for a successor". In the letter, Jassim stated, "I did not want, as I have told you from the start, to be appointed as crown prince" and said that he had only accepted the position in October 1996 because of "sensitive circumstances". According to a report by Stratfor, Jassim had no allies among the military forces or secret police at the time of the 2013 political transition, and thus had few chances to overturn Hamad's decree.
Domestic policy
Tamim rules an authoritarian regime. He holds all executive and legislative authority in Qatar; political parties are forbidden, and elections are not free and fair. The citizens of Qatar have limited political rights and civil liberties.
One of Tamim's first moves after coming to power was to merge bureaucracies, such as the Qatar National Food Security Program, which was incorporated into the Ministries of Economy and Agriculture. He lowered the budget of the Qatar Foundation and Qatar Museums Authority and other institutions.
Since his accession to power, the government has expanded the roads around the capital, developed the new Doha Metro system, and completed the construction of a new airport, the Hamad International Airport. During the Arab Spring, Tamim promised to establish a directive to lower the price of foodstuffs sold by companies working with the country's National Food Security Programme and anticipated social allowances and pension increases.
In his inaugural speech on 26 June 2013, Sheikh Tamim pledged to continue to diversify Qatar's economy away from hydrocarbons.
In June 2013, Sheikh Tamim unveiled his new cabinet. Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah was named foreign minister. Unlike previous appointees to this post, Al Attiyah was a non-royal. Tamim made Hessa Al Jaber the first ever Minister of Information and Communications Technology in Qatar in 2013. She was the third female minister to be named to the cabinet.
In 2014, Tamim passed new "cybercrime" legislation, which was said to be part of an agreement among Gulf states to criminalize online insults of the region's royal families.Kovessy, Peter (25 June 2015). "Two years on, how Qatar has (and hasn't) changed under Sheikh Tamim" . Doha News. Retrieved 24 May 2016. The law outlawed the spreading of "false news" as well as digital material that violates the country's "social values" or "general order". The legislation made it illegal to incite, aid and facilitate the publication of offensive material. The law was criticized as being intended by the authoritarian regime to silence dissent in Qatar. Amnesty International called the law "a major setback for freedom of expression in Qatar" and other critics suggest that the new law will violate provisions of the country's constitution that protect civil liberties.Kovessy, Peter (5 October 2014). "Former minister: Qatar's cybercrime law result of GCC security pact" . Doha News. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
In January 2016, Tamim made additional changes to his cabinet. He named a new foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, moving the previous foreign minister, Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, to the position of Minister of State for Defense Affairs. Tamim also merged several ministries, including communication and transport, culture, youth and sports. Journalists have speculated reasons behind the cabinet changes. Some have come to the conclusion that the reorganization was either an economic move, meant to save the country money at a time when the falling price of gas had forced the country to scale back its workforce or for reasons of political stability.Ünal, Ali (29 January 2016). "Qatari cabinet reshuffle not signal of change" . Daily Sabah Mideast. Turkuvaz Communication and Publication Corporation. Retrieved 24 May 2016. Eurasia Group indicated in a report that the cabinet change aimed to increase efficiency in government operations and would not negatively impact political or economic stability. According to others the appointments showed that Tamim was trying to make the government his own by bringing in a new, younger generation of ministers that were more loyal to him than to his father.Fitch, Asa and Summer Said (27 January 2016). "Qatar Reshuffles Cabinet, Appointing New Foreign and Defense Ministers" . The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
First legislative election and scrapping thereof
On 2 October 2021, elections for 30 out of 45 seats of the Shura Council were held for the first time, after many postponements since 2005. The other 15 remained appointed by the Emir, giving this minority group and his cabinet overwhelming power of decision making on issues of defense, foreign policy and other critical issues of the state. The Assembly's powers are limited. The body can only question the prime minister, who is appointed by the Emir of Qatar, on his policies if two-thirds of the members agree, which was unlikely given that one third of its members were appointed by the Emir. Some observers, especially after the abolishment of further elections in 2024, noted that the timing of the election, after many delays, shortly before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, suggested that the election had more to do with Qatar wanting to improve its international image than with genuine political liberalization.
Eligibility for the vote was limited to people aged 18 years and up who had a grandfather born in Qatar; candidates were required to be at least 30 years of age and of Qatari origin. Some members of the seminomadic Al Murrah tribe were barred from the election, causing discontent among some members of the tribe, and drawing criticism from international human rights organisations, who characterised it as "arbitrary voter disenfranchisement. Some members and supporters of the Al Murrah tribe were arrested after protesting the law. Human rights organisations criticised this as repression of the right to free expression and freedom of assembly. After the vote controversy, Tamim pledged equal citizenship and ordered legal amendments.
In November 2024, the initial experiment of legislative elections that took place in the 2021 general poll was formally discontinued. The electoral component for the advisory assembly was eliminated, scrapping the planned "general election" process for its seats and returning the appointment power to the Emir.
Labour rights
During Tamim's rule, Qatar's abuse and exploitation of foreign migrant labourers (mostly Indians and Nepalese) has been a subject of international controversy, in particular in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Despite several steps of reform, in their reports for 2025 both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have found that foreign labourers continue to face widespread abuses under a "restrictive" and "exploitative" Kafala system.