Emir Of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Aal Thani In 2014: Qatar Does Not Support Any Extremist Or Terrorist Groups; Perhaps Some Of The Groups Referred To As Extremist Are Not So (Archival)

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani spoke about terrorist and extremist organizations in Syria and Iraq in a September 17, 2024 press conference with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Qatar TV. He said that "Qatar believes that perhaps some of these groups are not extremist." Sheikh Tamim said that some of the groups may be referred to as "extremist" due to internal issues.

Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani: "Qatar does not support any extremist group or organization, whether in Syria or in Iraq. There is no support of any sort so there is nothing that Qatar can stop now. With regard to some groups and some organizations that some people refer to as "extremist" – they do so for internal political purposes.

"However, Qatar believes that perhaps some of these groups are not extremist. With regard to what is happening in Iraq and in Syria – yes, there is terror and extremism there, by a [certain] country and by extremist groups. But as I've said, in some countries, these groups are used by internal purposes. But Qatar will never support, and has never supported, any terrorist organization that kills civilians because of their personal beliefs."