Less than a month before the World Cup, Qatar’s emir has gone on the attack

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani chose to tackle critics of the Gulf state’s stance on human rights head-on, writes David Harding

Sheikh Tamim with Fifa president Gianni Infantino in Doha in April (AP)

Each year, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, addresses the country’s Shura Council. In a country where there are few grand policy announcements from Doha’s ruler, the speeches are eagerly anticipated. They rarely disappoint.

One year he went full JFK, asking what young Qataris can do for their country, not what the uber-rich could do for them. This year’s speech, on Tuesday, was also significant.

Unsurprisingly, a little more than three weeks out from the World Cup the Gulf state is about to host, this year he chose to talk about the landmark event coming up. And what he said was thankfully not too diplomatic, and so therefore interesting.