Having 8 sons in a row and dominating the Sixth Palace, the counterattack life of “Zhen Huan in the Middle East”
With the opening of the 2022 World Cup, global attention is focused on Qatar. If you don’t look at it, you don’t know, but after looking at it, you will find that this country with an area of only 11,500 square kilometers has many bright spots. There is an astonishingly high GDP; there is an unforgettable museum; there is also a gorgeous and domineering queen mother. As soon as she appeared at the opening ceremony of the World Cup, Queen Mother Moza attracted people’s attention. Even the brooch on the shoulder has been carefully studied.
But this kind of attention is probably already normal for her. As long as she appears under the spotlight, she is always the focus. Coupled with her background, she deserves the word “legendary”.
Legendary life
In June 2013, a rare scene in Arab countries appeared. The old Qatari emir Hamad voluntarily abdicated and passed the throne to his 33-year-old son Tamim.
Speaking at his own coronation, Tamim paid tribute to his father Hamad in a long and passionate tribute, without mentioning his mother Moza. However, according to rumors, it was Moza who was the driving force behind this abdication.
“In the eyes of the local people, there is a shadow of Mozah behind many major events in Qatar.” Liu Xinlu, dean of the Arabic College of Beijing Foreign Studies University, told reporters: “When Hamad was in power, he and Mozah served successively as Qatar’s foreign minister. And another Hamad of the Prime Minister forms a power pyramid. The emir is at the top, and the other two participate in decision-making.”
From the first time he appeared in the public eye, Moza was an existence that could not be ignored. She is tall and never wears a veil, with a chiseled face and heavy makeup. Although she wears a headscarf, it is more like a fashion match with a gorgeous dress.
Most of her clothing comes from international brands. Although it will be improved according to Islamic customs, it still looks unique in the Gulf countries. It is in stark contrast to the low presence of royal women in other Gulf countries. And all this has been supported by her husband Hamad.
Considering Mo Zha’s background, such support is especially rare. Moza’s father was a bitter rival to the elder Emir Khalifa. Moza was born in 1959, and her wealthy businessman father was thrown into prison for speaking out against Khalifa. After he was released from prison, the family fled to Kuwait and Egypt when Moza was 5 years old.
Unexpectedly, 13 years later, Moza returned with a high profile, transformed from a “sinner’s daughter” into Crown Prince Hamad’s favorite bride. What is even more legendary is that 18 years later, Hamad launched a coup and Moza became queen.
Moza, the second of Hamad’s three wives and the only one who has been seen in public, accompanied him to the White House, Downing Street, the Elysee Palace and the Gaza Strip. She was described as a “stylish ‘movie star'” in US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.
According to reports, Moza and Hamad have 5 sons and 3 daughters, and Tamim is her second son.
After marriage, Mozah completed his studies, receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Qatar University in 1986, and later a master’s degree, as well as honorary doctorates from several universities.
The royal trader The same
concept makes the relationship between Hamad and Moza solid and solid. After Hamad changed from crown prince to emir, Moza had more opportunities to display his talents and became one of Qatar’s important operators.
Qatar established the Investment Authority in 2005 and runs one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. In 2010, Qatar Investment Authority acquired the famous British department store Harrods.
According to reports, the deal was worth about 1.5 billion pounds (1 pound was about 10.5 yuan at the time), and Moza played an important role in promoting the acquisition.
What can better reflect Moza’s personal business will are probably private investment companies and Qatar luxury goods groups that have connections with the Qatari royal family.
The former acquired the Italian luxury brand Valentino in 2012 for 700 million euros (1 euro was about 8.1 yuan at the time), which is Mozza’s favorite brand; the latter specializes in acquisitions in the luxury sector.
Moza has also had a non-negligible impact on the social life of Qatar, especially in the fields of education and medical care. She and Hamad founded the Qatar Education, Science and Social Development Fund in 1995. She serves as the chairman of the foundation and is deeply involved in the operation of the foundation.
An important result of this fund is the establishment of an education city in Qatar – a city with branch campuses of world-renowned universities.
Moza once recalled such a scene. One day in the late 1990s, her plane was parked on the runway and was about to fly to the United States in order to establish a cooperation with a top American university. Some in her entourage, however, doubted the success of the trip. “If you have that mentality, leave now.” Moza said to her assistant: “If you don’t believe it, then you have to leave now.”
Finally, the plane took off, and so did the Education City, although Negotiation failures were also experienced at the initial stage. Now, there are seven branch campuses of foreign institutions in the Education City, including Cornell University School of Medicine, Georgetown University, and Northwestern University. Qatar is committed to guaranteeing academic freedom and paying all costs of running schools.
Liu Xinlu once visited Qatar Education City: “Regardless of the architectural style, discipline setting, and talent training system, it is completely Western-style. This reflects the determination of the Qatari royal family to achieve internationalization locally. In their view, on the one hand, the establishment of education The cost of studying in the city is comparable to sending students to Western countries, and there is no more expenditure; on the other hand, it can also create a regional education center that can attract students from the Islamic cultural circle in the Middle East and even South Asia.”
“Qatar’s native scholars are very Few, most of the teachers are from the west or other Arab countries. Moza ’s
success in Education City is inseparable from the support of Qatar’s huge wealth. Qatar was originally a traditional land, with more than 10,000 square kilometers of sandy land and salt flats, scattered The nomadic Bedouins, who wear flowing robes, have long subsisted from pearl hunting and falcon and camel racing.
Successive discoveries of oil and natural gas have brought about a shift, and the North-South Pars gas field, shared with Iran, is the largest gas field in the world. Oil and gas exports have allowed Qatar to accumulate a lot of wealth, ranking among the richest countries in the world. At the same time, Qatar has a small population. Among the 2.9 million people living there, the country’s population accounts for less than 15%. In 2021, Qatar’s per capita GDP will exceed 60,000 US dollars, and at the same time enjoy extremely high benefits. “The locals have a saying, ‘jumped from a camel to a Mercedes overnight’. Many Qataris, you ask his father what he does, he sells oil; then ask his grandfather what he does, he shepherds sheep. .” Liao Baizhi, deputy director of the Middle East Institute of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told reporters.
“Qatar is a Gulf country that started to diversify its economy earlier. For example, they started to deploy the aviation industry very early. Doha’s airport is one of the busiest airports in the Middle East and is the regional shipping center.” Liao Baizhi said.
Qatar is also committed to building itself into an international convention and exhibition center, holding various educational exhibitions, medical exhibitions, and international events all year round.
“This kind of economic layout of conventions and exhibitions is in line with the diplomatic goal of becoming a regional mediation center. Several top hotels in Qatar are full of guests every day. Representatives from governments around the world and representatives from various institutions gather here to mediate issues, including the Sudanese issue, The Afghan issue, the Iranian issue, etc. Qatar also expanded its economic vitality and enhanced its diplomatic energy through this method,” Liu Xinlu said. And Moza still plays an indispensable role in Qatar’s foreign exchanges. On the opening day of the World Cup, as the chairman of the Education First Foundation and an advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, she met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations Guterres to discuss education issues.
”Although Hamad has abdicated, Moza has already formed a kind of institutional influence.” Liu Xinlu commented.
