Her Highness (H.H.) Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al Missned was born on 8 August 1959 in the coastal town of Al Khor in Qatar. Her father Nasser bin Abdullah Al Missned was an affluent merchant, a well-known opposition activist, the former head of the Al Muhannada confederation of Bani Hajer and an outspoken man. He took his family into self-imposed exile to Kuwait when things got bad in Qatar after he spoke out against the government of the time. He returned with his family to Qatar in 1977 which was also the year H.H. Sheikha Moza married H.H. Sheikh Hamad and became his second wife.
At the time, H.H Sheikh Hamad was the Heir Apparent of Qatar. When he became the Amir of Qatar, H.H. Sheikha Moza became his consort and the first wife of an Amir to be seen in the public eye. Since then, she has continuously been involved in the social and political facets of Qatar’s government, as well as at international events. Both, husband and wife, have always complemented each other and transformed Qatar into the progressive, prosperous country it is today.
Together, with H.H. Sheikh Hamad, H.H. Sheikha Moza has five sons and two daughters:
H.H. Sheikha Moza completed her studies after she got married and obtained a BA in Sociology from Qatar University in 1986. She went on to gain a Master of Arts in Public Policy in Islam from Hamad bin Khalifa University’s Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies. In 2003, she was awarded with an honourary Doctor of Humane Letters from the Virginia Commonwealth University and also has honourary doctorates from the Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Imperial College London and Georgetown University.
She supports and promotes many initiatives that involve education, children, women, social reforms and health; addressed towards fighting domestic violence and abuse, ensuring those with special needs and the youth are provided more employment opportunities, improving children’s labour rights, preventing extremism from spreading to the youth and improving education, especially for young women.
She has helped launch the area’s very first battered and abused women’s shelter, helped better public transport for expat workers, brought about reformation to Qatar’s higher education system and so much more. She also leads many international projects with the aim to promote human development, as well as peace, all over the globe.
She owns Le Tanneur which manufactures French leather goods and has been instrumental in many foreign investments.
Not only is H.H. Sheikha Moza known as one of the world’s most glamourous royals, she is dedicated, hardworking and focused when it comes to her country and she has been a major contributor to its economic as well as social success.
She is the Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Silatech, Education Above All, Sidra Medicine, and Msheireb Properties; founder of the Qatar Social Work Foundation; Advocate for the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals; Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Ambassador of the UN Alliance of Civilisations.
She has also served as Chair for the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, 1998-2009; Vice Chair for the Supreme Education Council (2006-2012) and the Supreme Council of Health (2009-2014); Advocate for the UN Millennium Development Goals (2010-2015); and Member of the Steering Committee of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (2012-2017). She is also responsible for establishing the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
This inspiring role model to many, H.H. Sheikha Moza has been conferred many honours which include, but are not limited to, the Honourary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service, Dame of the Order of Muhammad, Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Member of the Decoration of the Smile, the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. She has also been inducted into the Academie des Beaux Arts de l'Institut de France.
In 2010, she was named as one of Forbes ‘Power Women’ and is well known around the globe for her style, customised haute couture designs and her signature turban, which earned her a place in the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame in 2015.
To know more about Sheikha Moza, why not check out her social media pages:
Facebook: @mozabintnasser
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mozabintnasser/
Are you inspired by H.H. Sheikha Moza? What do you most admire about her? What do you feel is her biggest achievement? Do let us know your thoughts in the Comments section. Like and share the article - it keeps us going!
Source: Office Of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, State Of Qatar and Wikipedia
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