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The Al-Thani family was among
a tribal group who settled for a long time
at the "Gibrin" oasis in the southern
Najd, before their arrival at Qatar during
the early 18th century. It is a branch of the
Bani Tamim tribe, whose descent can be traced
back to Mudar Bin Nizar. Initially they settled
in Zubara in the north of the peninsula, moving
to Doha in the mid 19th century under the leadership
of Sheikh Mohammad Bin Thani.
In 1878 Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammad succeeded his father Sheikh Mohammad bin Thani.
In 1913 Sheikh Abdallah bin Jassim, came to power. It was in his time when oil
was first discovered in Qatar.
In 1940 Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah ruled Qatar until 1948.
In 1949 Sheikh Ali bin Abdallah came to power and ruled until 1960. And in that
year, Sheikh Ahmad Bin Ali ruled Qatar and his reign continued until 1972.
In 1972, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al Thani came to power after Sheikh Ahmad Bin
Ali Al Thani, and attempted to modernize the country by introducing new industries
such as steel, fertilizers, petrochemicals and medical hospital. On September
3rd, 1971 Qatar became independent.
In June 1995 Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani
assumed power with the support and blessings
of the ruling family and the Qatari people.
On July 2, 2002 the chairman of the 32-man
committee appointed by the emir of Qatar,
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, to draft
a permanent constitution for the emirate,
presented the document to the ruler. It proposed
a series of reforms, such as establishing
a legislative council 30 of whose 45 members
would be elected, the remainder appointed
by the emir and granting women the right to
vote and run for public office.The 150-article
draft indicates a guarantee of public freedoms,
including assembly, association, expression
and opinion, press and publishing, religion,
and so on.
The draft document has to be ratified and
promulgated by the emir. The event will surely
start a new phase in the political reform
process begun by Sheikh Hamad in November
1998, when he promised to modernize state
institutions and provide Qatar with a permanent
constitution and an elected Parliament.
In March 1999, Qatar held its first municipal
elections, becoming the first member state
of the Gulf Cooperation Council to let women
vote and run for office.
In April 2003, an overwhelming 96,6% of Qatari
voters said "yes" to a draft permanent
constitution which once implemented will transform
Qatar into democracy. |
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