Doha: Shaikh Mohamed A J Althani, former minister of economy and commerce, launched his latest book, Jassim the Leader, Founder of Qatar, at an event at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha yesterday. Althani’s second book tells the story of the extraordinary life of Jassim bin Muhammad bin Thani, widely referred to as ‘the Leader’ of Qatar.
The high-profile launch, in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari and other guests, included a reading by Shaikh Mohamed and a question-answer session on the origins of his book.
The launch follows a year after the release of Althani’s first book The Arab Spring & The Gulf States: Time to Embrace Change, which analyses the important domestic areas of demography, security and provision of food and water.
“Qatar is today known for being a rich country, a global investment powerhouse and the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. The foundations of this extraordinary success, which have been so magnificently built upon, were laid over a century ago by the pioneering spirit of Jassim,” said Shaikh Mohamed.
“Jassim’s natural leadership skills, together with political acumen and wisdom, enabled him to unite the Qatari tribes and oversee the country’s unification to become the independent state it is today.
“Though little is known about Jassim’s life outside Qatar, he was instrumental to country’s independence and it is my pleasure to share his great story with the wider public,” said Sheikh Mohammed.
The book takes readers back to the 1830s, when the Gulf was a fragmented region, a desert peninsula without security and borders, where coastal communities depended on pearling for survival, while constantly at the mercy of tribal raiders.
Jassim the Leader, Founder of Qatar is published by Profile Books.
The Peninsula
