Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani receiving a grand welcome on his arrival in Doha yesterday. A large number of citizens and residents gathered along the Corniche to celebrate H H the Emir’s return.
Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was accorded a rousing welcome on his return to the country yesterday as after being received by a number of Their Excellencies at Doha International Airport, the Emir was greeted with rose petals and “we love Tamim” slogans at Doha Corniche by thousands of citizens and expatriates.
Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani returned to Doha after paying successful visits to Turkey, Germany, France and the US, where he also delivered a historic speech at the opening session of UN General Assembly.
The Emir was welcomed upon arrival at Doha International Airport by Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, H E Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Personal Representative of H H the Emir H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani and H E Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa Al Thani.
The Emir was also welcomed by Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khulaifi, a number of Their Excellencies sons of H H the Father Emir, Sheikhs and Ministers,
H E the Deputy Speaker of the Advisory Council, members of the Advisory Council, and a number of dignitaries.
A large number of citizens and residents lined up along Doha Corniche to welcome the Emir. Thousands of families, both citizens and expatriates, gathered at the Corniche holding iconic Tamim Al Majd images and Qatar’s flag. The majority of children were wearing shirts carrying Tamim Al Majd image while a number of women and girls were dressed in attire representing Qatari flag.
The huge public reception was a popular initiative launched by citizens and residents on the social media under the hashtag #All_Qatar_Receives_Tamim. Before the arrival of convoy of the Emir at Corniche, a number of motorists kept on playing national anthem and other patriotic songs to warm the ambiance while a number of companies were distributing free cold drinks, sweets and flags among the people.
Thousands of men, women and children, lined up along Doha Corniche, did not leave their place with the apprehension that it might deprive them of the opportunity to catch a glimpse of H H the Emir from the front rows. Despite huge crowd, no commotion was witnessed anywhere and all eyes were just set on the road to see the glimpse of the Emir.
As the convoy of the Emir reached Corniche, people greeted the Emir by showering rose petals and reciting patriotic songs. “Welcome Tamim Al Majd, we like you Tamim Al Majd and not like anyone except you,” a group of Qatari citizens was singing this. Everyone from kids to elderly people had directed cameras of their smart phones to the road to save the memorable moments.
Residents had come to praise H H the Emir after his historic speech at the opening session of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. Qatari citizens observed that they were very proud of their Emir and they were standing behind him and renewing their loyalty with him.
Talking to The Peninsula, Mohamed Mahmoud, a Qatari citizen said: “I want to say that today is an exceptional day for all of us; it is like the national day. It is a form of our commitment to stand with the Emir. Our Emir is proud of his people and we too are proud of him.”
Mahmoud said that both H H the Emir and H H the Father Emir had done a lot for Qataris. “It (grand reception) is a message that we are united and standing behind our Emir. This is the reason that I came here very early along with my whole family members to welcome the Emir.”
Another Qatari citizen Abou Nasser Al Yafee termed the day as “historic day”. “This is a historic day to receive the Emir H H Tamim Almajd. People have come to say that they are united and proud of their Emir and not only Qataris but a large of expats too are present here to welcome the Emir.”
He said: “People are standing united with their wise leadership. You know that the Emir in his speech at UN has appreciated the residents’ role in Qatar.”
Abdullah Ahmed, a Qatari young boy, said that he was very keen to attend the grand reception of H H the Emir. “The Emir has raised our voice at UN and we are proud of him. In his speech, he didn’t talk only about Qatar, he also talked about different issues like Rohingya Muslims’ sufferings and demanded immediate help for them. He also talked about Libya, Syria and Iraq. Finally, I want to say that I am happy to be here to welcome the Emir on his return to Qatar”, he said.
Mohamed Salem, an Omani national who was present at Corniche with his Omani friends to welcome the Emir, said: “I have come here to share the happiness of Qataris and expats which they are experiencing on receiving H H the Emir and I pray to Allah to protect him. Representing people of Oman, I repeat my commitment of standing with our brothers of Qatar.”
Like on Corniche, love and loyalty of people for the Emir was the loud and dominant on social media sites. “Welcome back Sheikh Tamim, this is a proud moment for us. You and only are our leader,” said Yasir in his tweet. Another citizen said that sky was full with clouds as Allah had blessed Qatari people with beautiful weather to welcome their prince. “The amount of love (for the Emir) has engulfed the whole Doha right now and it has brought tears of happiness in my eyes,” wrote another twitterati.
