Qatar today celebrates its National Day with patriotic fervour, commemorating the historic occasion when the founder of the nation, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani, assumed power in 1878 and laid the foundations of a confident and modern Qatar as we know it today.
The excitement that has been building up over the past few weeks over the National Day festivities will reach its climax today with public and private celebrations throughout the country. Qataris and expatriates join the festivities in honour of the country’s founder.
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday joined his loyal citizens in the celebrations organised to mark the historic occasion. HH the Emir has toured a number of celebratory functions organised by Qatari tribes in different areas of the country.
A freedom fighter and visionary, Qatar’s founder Sheikh Jassim was instrumental in organising local tribes into a dedicated and united force that inflicted a huge defeat on the powerful Ottomans in the Battle of Al Wajba in 1893 to put Qatar on the road to independence and prosperity.
The reign of Sheikh Jassim was characterised by security, peace and justice as Qatar became an important economic hub in the region mainly through pearl fishing and trading.
Today, 119 years after the Battle of Al Wajba, Qataris under the rule of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani feel equally blessed as the nation makes rapid strides in all spheres of human activity.
Be it business, health, science, philanthropy, education, sport, arts and culture, Qatar is right up there with the best thanks to the drive and initiative of HH the Emir and his wife HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser who have ensured the country’s progress without compromising its cultural and religious identity.
Today Qatar can proudly look back on its past achievements.The most important among them is none other than the nation winning the rights to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, thus bringing the prestigious event to the Middle East for the first time. This has made Qatar the focus of the world’s sporting community which will be watching with interest how its futuristic development plans bear fruit.
Over the past five decades, Qatar has made phenomenal progress by establishing a strong academic system that is of tangible value to current and future generations, and is seamlessly tailored to usher in a new era of advancement. HH the Emir has made an ongoing commitment to the development of notable educational initiatives and reforms.
The focus of learning today, as detailed in Qatar’s National Vision 2030, is to ensure that young Qataris are both academically and vocationally equipped to take the lead on the home front and to become major players in the international arena. HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser shares this profound commitment to education and is an ardent supporter of projects that enable youth to gain much-needed access to schooling.