Moza bint Nasser Al Missned

Sheikha Moza bint Nasser (Arabic: موزا بنت ناصر المسند‎, born in Al Khor, Qatar on 15 January 1959) is the consort of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, former Emir of the State of Qatar. Since 1995, Sheikha Moza has led education and social reforms in Qatar and has founded national and international development projects.

Early life and education

Moza is the daughter of Nasser bin Abdullah Al-Misned, a well-known opposition activist and the former head of the Al Muhannada confederation of Bani Hajer. After being released from prison due to his political activities and as an act of defiance against the policies of the deposed former Emir Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, Nasser bin Abdullah led the entire Al Muhannada clan into self-imposed exile to Kuwait in 1964. Nasser returned to Qatar with his immediate family in 1977, the year in which his daughter Moza married Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, when he was heir apparent of Qatar. She received a BA in Sociology from Qatar University in 1986, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2003.

Areas of work

Sheikha Moza co-founded and chairs the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development(QF), which was set up in 1995.

Sheikha Moza also acted as chairperson of Silatech since 2008, chairperson of the Arab Democracy Foundation, and president of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs since 1998. She has been vice-president of the Supreme Education Council since 2002 and was UNESCO's Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education in 2003. Currently, she serves as a member of the Board of Overseers for Weill Cornell Medical College. Besides this, she is the chairperson of Sidra Medical and Research Center, a high-tech women's and children's hospital in Doha. She also endowed this medical center with $7.9 billion.

Unlike many other monarchical wives in the Middle East, Sheikha Moza has been a high-profile figure in her nation's politics and society, actively involved in Qatar's government. She was a driving force behind Education City and Al Jazeera Children's Channel. She is the owner of Le Tanneur, a French leather-goods manufacturer. Additionally, she has been named as one of Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women at #75.

As the public consort of the emir, she has represented Qatar alongside her husband and on her own at many international events, including state visits and royal weddings. She has become known for her personal style, customising haute couture designs to fit Qatari modesty rules.

She works with the UN to support global education and has been selected as a UN Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals.

Sheikha Moza initiated the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a forum for innovative solutions to international health challenges.

Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA), launched in September 2018 under the patronage of Sheikha Moza bint Nasser as Honorary Chair and co-Chaired by Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani and Tania Fares (Founder of Fashion Trust), is an initiative offering financial and business support to womenswear designers.

As summarized by the New York Times in 2018, "Sheikha Moza is the object of lurid, often misogynistic insults in the Saudi, Emirati and Egyptian media, where she is portrayed as a power-hungry manipulator of weak men.

Titles, styles, and honours

Titles and styles

Moza may be styled as "Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser".

Honours

Foreign honours

•  Croatia: Grand Cross of the Order of Queen Jelena
•  Italy: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
•  Malaysia: Honorary Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
•  Morocco: Dame of the Order of Muhammad
•  Netherlands: Dame of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
•  Netherlands: Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal
•  Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Henry
•  Spain: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Foreign awards

•  Poland: Member of the Decoration of the Smile
•  United Kingdom
  •  England
    • Royal Institute of International Affairs: Chatham House Prize
  •  Scotland
    • Recipient of the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy
•  United States
  •  Pennsylvania – Carnegie Mellon University: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters
  •  Texas – George Bush Presidential Library: George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service
  •  Virginia – Virginia Commonwealth University: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters

Children

The royal couple has five sons and two daughters:

• Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (born 1978) – heir apparent of Qatar until 2003.
• Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Prince of Qatar (born 1980) – heir apparent of Qatar (2003–2013), current Emir of Qatar.
• Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (born 1983).
• Sheikha Hind bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (born 1984) – director of the Emir's Office since 2009.
• Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (born 1986).
• Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (born 1988).
• Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (born 1991).