Qatari Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al-Missned, 64, is widely believed to be the most influential and powerful woman in the Arab world in the 21st century. She is the wife of the preceding Emir and the mother of current Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Officially, she is the co-founder and chairperson of the multi-billion-dollar Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. Dotted with a sharp sense of branding, Sheikha Moza been careful to cultivate her reputation abroad, boasting a number of honorary doctorates from U.S. and U.K. universities. She also owns Le Tanneur, a French leather goods fashion house.
Behind the scenes, she is said by some to hold enormous influence over her son the Emir. Many credit her with playing a pivotal role in the 1995 coup against her husband’s father-in-law, which brought her husband to power and subsequently transformed Qatar from a backwater in the Gulf to a global powerbroker. 18 years later, she is said to have been the one to persuade her husband Sheikh Hamad in 2013 to rejuvenate the country’s leadership by ceding power to their son in an unprecedented move among Arab monarchies. In the East, her legacy may ultimately be cemented by her role in empowering Qatari women and catapulting them to the highest offices in her very socially conservative country.
In the West, increasingly, many think that her ultimate brand may be defined by her willingness to engineer the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza after being kidnapped during the 7 October 2023 attack against Israel. After all, Qatar has been paying the salaries of tens of thousands of Gazan civil servant for years to the tune of $1.5 billion with the approval of Israel’s longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It also hosts several of Hamas’ senior leaders on its soil. Thus, it is fair to assume that the small Emirate holds considerable influence and leverage on Hamas.
For example, earlier this month, US actress Kathie Lee Gifford posted a public video message in which she appealed directly to Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, mother of the current Emir of Qatar, to release the remaining Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. The video appears to be part of a campaign labelled “It’s in Your Hands,” targeted at persuading Sheikha Moza to use her influence to free the remaining hostages and thereby end the war in Gaza.
Other players in the West decided to take a more aggressive approach to pressure what they perceive as Qatar’s continued equivocation on Hamas. For example, US university Texas A&M announced last week the closing of its campus in Doha. It remains to be seen whether Texas A&M’s departure is just the start of a major Western exodus from the country and whether such moves lead Qatar to reconsider its support for Hamas.
All things considered, it is yet to be seen whether either approach - appeals or boycotts - will convince Sheikha Moza to act. One thing is for sure: it is highly unlikely that a woman with such sharp political instincts and sense of purpose will be oblivious to her legacy, and that of her own country.