The Brilliant Sheikha Moza

Moza bint Nasser Al Missned, the second wife (of the three) of the Qatari Emir.
Born in 1959 in Qatar, she lived in Egypt with her family, and returned to Qatar at the age of 18 to get married. She has seven children (5 sons and 2 daughters). Sheikha Mozah is the only woman in the Middle East who, in addition to charitable activities, participates in the work of the country's parliament. She was included in the 100 most influential women in the world according to Forbes magazine (74). I am sure that after looking at her photos, you will agree that she is not just smart and strong, but also a beautiful and elegant Woman with an amazing sense of style.


Oriental women have always been famous for their hidden, mysterious beauty. The myth that a woman professing Islam a priori cannot be stylish and be a model of femininity and elegance is nothing more than fiction for women around the world. But who managed to debunk it, preserving Muslim traditions? Meet the "Arab Grace Kelly" - Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missnead.



This woman recently became the second in the list of the most elegant women according to Vanity Fair magazine. Not surprisingly, her style is impossible not to notice, just as it is impossible not to notice her herself. At the same time, keep in mind that she is strongly constrained by religion, protocol and other conventions. But each of her appearances is a holiday.
And she is also 52 years old and she is the mother of seven children. In short, I present to you the divine Sheikha Mozah and her style.Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser al-Missned is the second wife of the three Emirs of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Sheikha Mozah was born in 1959 in the Qatari city of Al Khor. Her father was Nasser bin Abdullah Al-Missnid, President of Egypt. In 1977, at the age of 18, she was married to the Crown Prince of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who is today the ruler, sheikh, of Qatar. In addition to Moza, the sheikh, according to Muslim traditions, has two more wives. But it is Sheikha Moza who stands out against their background, she is always "in the public eye" Moza Nasser breaks all stereotypes about oriental wives.

At the moment, she is one of the most active newsmakers in the country.




It was she who first appeared in public with an open face, breaking one of the main taboos of Islamic etiquette in the countries of Arabia. Such Qatari men, subjects of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, were the first in the Gulf to see the face of the wife of the head of state, Moza bint Nasser, at the opening of a branch of the British Cornwall Medical University in Doha (the capital of Qatar). The beautiful woman was dressed in a black long cape and a headscarf of the same color and had a minimum of jewelry.



It should be recalled that Islamic etiquette in the countries of Arabia requires that a woman wear the traditional black cape "abaya" and "ha'il" (chador) in public places, as well as black gloves and stockings. Only the husband, sons and closest relatives can see the woman without them.

However, this tradition is rapidly becoming a thing of the past: with the exception of Saudi Arabia, today you can often see girls and young women on the streets of cities in the Gulf countries with their faces uncovered. However, in relation to the spouses of heads of state, this tradition was preserved until recently.




These were the first steps towards reforms, but despite the fact that women became free to choose clothes, not all society accepted these changes, tradition, foundations, and religion still have a strong impact.

However, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned did not stop there. The next step was to create my own unique style. To do this, she adapted European design, and minimally deviated from religious rules and traditions. And in this she succeeded - showing the world one-of-a-kind images. She looks very elegant and organic in her outfits, for which Vanity Fair magazine (and not only it) has repeatedly included her in the list of the best-dressed people (including in 2011), second only to Carla Bruni and ahead of the Duchess of Cambridge.





Today, not only oriental women will envy her taste. So she most often goes out in long skirts or long wide or widening trousers, short sweaters and jackets, always with belts, sometimes quite wide. Her head is traditionally covered, for this Sheikha Mozah uses a turban, which has already become an integral part of her wardrobe. It is he, according to fashion experts, who is her "calling card". Since Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world, Sheikha Mozah does not hide her craving for luxury, she owns an exclusive collection of jewelry, as well as vintage collections of high fashion stars Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Chanel, Valentino.

As a rule, Sheikha Moza prefers to wear large or long earrings, beads and "oriental" rings - massive with no less large stones. According to the designers, the jewelry she uses is reasonably balanced, combining modernity and oriental mystery. To complete her image, Sheikha Moza prefers moderate makeup, using pastel, restrained colors. In addition, the harmony of her gestures and the sharpness of her mind are noted, which makes her an irresistible and welcome guest in all presidential palaces in the world.


The sheikh's wife has already competed in the ability to impress with the first lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, during her visit to Paris last year.

Sheikha of Qatar and Queen of Great BritainThis time, the stakes of fashion competition have only increased - Shahina Moza Nasser al-Missned once again proved that a Muslim woman can be the embodiment of elegance and sophistication during a trip to the UK with her husband, the Emir of Qatar.

Dressed in a pastel blue suit, complemented by a dark gray fur cape, Moza Nasser al-Missned amazed not only the royal family, but also all journalists, which caused a huge resonance in the media. Photos of Sheikha Mozah exchanging greetings with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were all over the covers. Stylish boots aroused special attention and sympathy among the British.

Sheikh Moz's boots differ significantly not only in appearance from the wives of other monarchs of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, as she takes an active social position. She manages many projects in the field of education, science, culture, protection of children's and women's rights.

In 1986, she graduated from the Department of Sociology at Qatar National University. For some time, Sheikha Mozah gave lectures at US universities and various public organizations, in which she tried to dispel many myths about oriental women, their way of life and position in the modern world. And the Carnegie American University awarded her the title of Honorary Doctor of Science.







In 2003, UNESCO appointed her Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education. In this position, she actively promotes various international projects to improve the quality and accessibility of education around the world.

In 2003, with the assistance of Sheikha, the "City of Education" was opened - this is a university campus and the university itself, which is taught by professors from US universities such as: Georgetown, the University of Virginia, Carnegie University and Commonville University. Students from all over the world study in the City of Education.


Undoubtedly, she is an influential and popular personality in her country, in its national policy, being involved in the work of the Government of Qatar. She holds some international and Qatari posts:

- Chairman of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Social Development;
– President of the Supreme Council of Family Affairs;
– Vice-President of the Supreme Council for Education.



This gives the sheikh the opportunity to break any stereotypes about oriental women. She also supports democratic transformation in the East by heading the Arab Democratic Fund. This allows her to actively work to combat domestic violence, defend the rights of children and the right of people with disabilities to work. With the coming to power of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, i.e. her husband, some reforms were carried out, including those relating to the status of women in society.

- They received the right to vote;
– The right to drive a car;
– The right to choose clothes.

Last year, Qatar held its first free elections for municipal councils, local self-government bodies in which women participated. A new draft constitution provided for women's political rights, including the right to be elected to Parliament. The emirate now has an appointed advisory council.







Sheikha was the driving force behind the formation of the children's department of the Arabic channel Al Jazeera, for which in 2007 Forbes magazine included her in the list of the 100 most influential women in the world, The Times named her one of the 25 most influential business leaders in the Middle East. And in 2010, she was already on the 74th place in the list of the most influential women in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

Sheikha Mozah is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Weill Cornell Medical College. In addition, she is also the Chairman of the Sidra Medical Research Center in Doha and Your Link.





The most curious thing is that Sheikha Mozah opposes polygamy, which is allowed by Islam. She expressed her opinion on this in an interview with the Financial Times. "The younger generation no longer has such a problem. Sharia, on the contrary, allows polygamy and nothing can be done about it, but in the future, the institution of marriage itself will be rationalized," she said. Sheikha Mozah is proud of the fact that girls already make up more than 60% of university students, and the share of working women in the emirate is 40%. We can also recall that Qatari women were the first in the history of the Gulf countries to appear in stadiums and gaming halls.

Today, Sheikha Moza of Qatar is 53 years old, but despite her age and the fact that she is a mother of seven children (the total number of offspring of the emir is unknown, although the Western media name the number is 27), she retains a stunning figure. Sheikha Moza and King Hamad have five sons and two daughters, including the heir to the throne of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

When asked by Western journalists what motivates her to be so active, and where she draws the energy for its implementation, in particular in the field of education, Sheikha Mozah replied: "First of all, it is a privilege for me to be in such a position. At the same time, the fact that I am a mother of seven children will determine my attitude to the education of the younger generation and future generations. Taking such positions, I think that the opportunity to do something for what is my passion, for my faith in education, should not be missed. I believe that education is the key to all the changes we want to bring about in the world. Our education reform project in Qatar is based on this philosophy. If you want any changes, any reforms, political or social, you need to start with the most important thing – education."

In recent years, more and more women from noble and non-Arabian families have left the narrow circle of household responsibilities outlined by tradition and religion, and go out into the world. We can name dozens and hundreds of Arabian women who now head large companies, conduct very successful business activities, hold serious government posts, head embassies abroad, and are engaged in science, art, literature and sports. And, undoubtedly, for many of them, the courageous act of the Qatari First Lady has become a kind of symbol of rapid changes in the status of women in the Arabian Peninsula.





After all, having married an authoritarian man in an Eastern state, she could forever remain a "woman in a burqa" for others, but Moza Nasser al-Missned avoided these extremes and over the years has demonstrated her honed sense of style, which does not go beyond the "fashion etiquette" allowed in the East. It is the ability to amazingly combine oriental wisdom and modern style that she managed to become a true living legend.