Iraqi Journalist: For the Lebanese, the Qatari Emir Is the 'Emir of Resistance'

In late July and early August 2010, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Aal Thani made his first visit to south Lebanon, in whose reconstruction Qatar has invested significant sums since the 2006 war with Israel. During his visit, Aal Thani met with Lebanese leaders and toured some of the rebuilt villages. At the inauguration of a hospital in Bint Jbeil, whose reconstruction was funded by Qatar, the Emir said: "The resistance [has enabled] Lebanon and the Arabs to raise their heads [in pride]."[1] At the rebuilt Bint Jbeil marketplace, he said: "In this place, which has suffered aggression, I thank the mujahideen who sacrificed their money and lives for the sake of glorifying this homeland."[2] Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and chairman of the Hizbullah party in the Lebanese parliament Muhammad Ra'ed delivered a number of speeches during the tour, in which they praised the resistance for having defeated Israel and thanked the Emir for his efforts in rebuilding south Lebanon.

Following the Emir's visit, Nabil Qaouq, Hizbullah's leader in south Lebanon, said: "We hold [the Emir] in high esteem for his noble initiative in rebuilding the four [southern Lebanese] villages, and we regard his efforts as an act of resistance that strengthens the steadfastness of the people of the south and the Lebanese position in the face of the Israeli challenges..."[3]

On August 5, Iraqi journalist 'Abd Al-Zahra Al-Rikabi published an article in the Qatari daily Al-Raya in which he described the Qatari Emir's dedicated efforts in support of Lebanon, which had earned him the name "Emir of Resistance" among the Lebanese.

Following are excerpts from the article:

The Emir's Leadership "Lights the Dark Arab Path [even] in the Darkest of Circumstances"

"During his recent trip to Lebanon, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Aal Thani, the Emir of Qatar, visited south Lebanon, accompanied by his wife Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned. [The purpose of] this visit – the first by any Arab leader in the region – was to investigate [the situation] in the southern villages, which four years ago were in ruins as a result of the barbaric Israeli aggression that incinerated everything, both in south Lebanon and in Beirut's Al-Dahiya [neighborhood].

"This visit was intended as a great show of support for the Lebanese people and their resistance – a resistance worthy of the praise the Emir [heaped on it] after thanking the mujahideen, whom he described in his speech in one of the villages as 'the heads of the Arabs.' The visit also [included] the inauguration and unveiling of residential neighborhoods, medical centers, municipal centers, and religious centers which Qatar built and repaired. There are thousands [of such projects], and thanks to Qatar's generosity the mosques' minarets and the church bells stand side by side [once again].

"Qatar has played a central role in Arab policy and diplomacy. The pan-Arab measures Emir Hamad [has taken] have had singular results, [exemplified] by the emergence of an Arab leadership, which lights the dark Arab path [even] in the darkest of circumstances. This leadership surprised enemies and friends alike with its sincere and noble attitudes, manifest in generosity, courage, honesty, and solidarity with the suffering of Arab countries.

"[After] the July war in 2006, which the Zionist state launched against Lebanon, Qatar displayed a position that is considered one of the high points in the country's [diplomacy], playing a broad and extensive role... in the Lebanese arena. Following the Qatari Emir's visit [to Beirut] in the wake of the Israeli aggression, the Qatari role expanded to [include the reconstruction of] Al-Dahiya, which had suffered great damage and where [the Emir] witnessed the frightful destruction incurred by the region. This inspection visit had profound significance for [Lebanese] morale, as Sheikh Hamad's initiative created an overt [partnership]... with the Lebanese people, who were suffering as a result of the Israeli aggression and destructiveness. [This was] an initiative the likes of which no other Arab leader dared to propose before or after, [and one which led] the Lebanese public to bestow upon [the Emir] the name 'Emir of Resistance.' This name took on permanence and power during the Emir's recent visit to south Lebanon. It is not a reflection of sycophancy or transitory sentiment. It is [rather] a way of paying Sheikh Hamad his due for his support of the Lebanese people in general, and in particular for restoring vitality and hope to the region which embraced the Lebanese resistance, by building and resettling what was destroyed and ruined due to Israeli aggression."

South Lebanon Is Alive with Love for the Emir

"The convoy of Sheikh Hamad, the Emir of Resistance, followed the international border in south Lebanon [and passed] by the Fatima Gate. What was remarkable was that the Lebanese people of the southern towns and villages rushed to welcome the Emir of Resistance with grand and festive receptions the likes of which had never before been seen. Qatari flags and large portraits of Sheikh Hamad covered the villages and towns through which his convoy passed, to the extent that Bint Jbeil, Al-Khiyyam, Kafar Kila, Deir Mimas, and Al-Msaileh became centers of joy, thanksgiving, festive reception, love, and prayer – for Qatar, the Qatari Emir, and the Qatari people. Joy flooded the faces of adults and youth [alike] in towns where [until then] grief and pain had reigned... That is why Qatar's generosity in these circumstances and in this region was... a model of practical resistance. It is no surprise that the Qatari example has played a role of open and explicit resistance, made manifest to the [inhabitants of] the towns and villages of south Lebanon, which rose [out of their ruins] in Qatari garb...

"Lastly, [one can] clearly [see] the emergence of a Qatari school of Arab policy and diplomacy, based on the principle of a clear and unshakable position, [even] in the most difficult of circumstances. This remarkable school has transcended the usual descriptions and labels, especially [the division into] 'moderate states' versus 'the resistance [camp].' Perhaps the significance of the Qatari role in each of the Arab and Islamic issues lies in its dynamism, openness, and familiarity with all the details. Thus, the Qatari role in Lebanon was but one example among many, [one] which has been welcomed by all Lebanese elements, to the extent of attaining national and public dimensions. And considering that the Lebanese resistance is nonpareil, what remains to be said if this same people of resistance has crowned the Qatari Emir as the 'Emir of Resistance'?"[4]