Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani died at age 74 after ruling Qatar from 1995 to 2013. Funeral prayers were held at the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque in Doha following the Maghrib prayer on Sunday, with burial at Lusail Cemetery. His son Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani succeeded him, and official mourning continues until Wednesday.
“Funeral prayers held for Qatar’s Father Emir Sheikh Hamad in Doha”
Read at Al Jazeera →No center sources covered this
“Qatar's former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at 74”
Read at Washington Times →The death marks the end of an era for a Gulf monarchy whose hydrocarbon wealth funded global influence alongside systemic exploitation of migrant labor.
“Petrostates leveraging soft power while maintaining kafala abuses and limited freedoms”
Sheikh Hamad transformed Qatar into an active world player, yet his era enabled Islamist messaging and support for groups at odds with Western security interests.
“Diplomatic and media choices that amplified narratives hostile to Israel and American allies”
The dynastic succession underscores the mismatch between individual liberty and monarchical systems based on bloodlines rather than consent.
“Absence of mechanisms for citizens to challenge or opt out of ruler's legacy”
All three perspectives overstate the funeral's political significance for a ruler who abdicated a decade earlier and treat unverified claims as settled.
“Routine rites and retired status ignored in favor of external ideological projections”
Ratings by MBFC