Mohammed Al Kuwari

His Excellency Mohammed bin Jassim Al Jaham Al Kuwari is a Qatari diplomat who served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to Mexico. His diplomatic work followed a military career of more than thirty years, culminating in command responsibility within coastal defence.

He served as Secretary-General of the Athletics Federation from 10 October 2012 to 15 December 2016 under the presidency of His Excellency Major General Dahlan Al-Hamad.

He was born in Bin Omran on 7 November 1968. Members of the Al Kuwari tribe had settled there after moving from Al Ghariya at the end of the 1960s, when Qatar was undergoing rapid economic and social change following the discovery of oil and natural gas. Like many Qataris of their generation, his father and grandfathers dived for pearls in summer and tended sheep in winter. His father later entered contracting in Qatar and abroad. Stories of those journeys and of other societies awakened his son’s early interest in travel and the wider world.

The household comprised his father, three wives, ten sons and six daughters. Mohammed was the fourth child and eldest son. Although so large a family lived in a modest home, limited space strengthened solidarity: siblings shared rooms and remained close. The family maintained warm relations with neighbours including the Al Manana’ah, Al Muhannadi and Al Kubaisi families, exchanging visits in accordance with long-standing Qatari and Arab customs. Fridays brought the extended family together, while winter camps at Al Hayer near Athba offered time in nature. He enjoyed freedom to play with friends and relatives but remained committed to family occasions and obligations.

His mother, Asmaa bint Ali Al Sheikh Al Kuwari—may God protect her—played a central role in the children’s upbringing. She transmitted cultural traditions and religious values, supported their education and encouraged academic excellence. Her guidance strengthened his character, moral judgement, sense of belonging and willingness to accept social responsibility. By creating emotional security and self-confidence, and by keeping children and grandchildren connected, she established a family unity that has endured.

His father, Jassim bin Mohammed bin Youssef Al Kuwari, was another decisive influence. His perseverance, respect for custom and adherence to Islamic teaching offered a daily example. He taught his children family duty, faith and the importance of kinship, helping Mohammed develop an ethical outlook and learn to balance religious, social and personal responsibilities.

As the eldest son, he learned responsibility and self-reliance. Commerce did not attract him, but his father took him each evening to the Al Wara office of National Transport, then prominent in Qatar’s early infrastructure development. He saw how lorries carried sand and cement from Mesaieed to Doha while he balanced school, work and family occasions. The father’s strict rules reflected care: the children needed permission to stay out late, gathered in the majlis at six each evening to welcome guests and hear discussions of trade and national affairs, and were expected to perform every obligatory prayer on time.

He began at Tariq bin Ziad and Khalifa City primary schools, continued at Yarmouk and Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib preparatory schools, and completed secondary education at Khalifa and Ibn Taymiyyah schools. Discipline at home and school defined those years, while sport offered recreation. His exceptional height and low weight, however, restricted participation in the most strenuous activities.

After secondary school, he became the first member of his immediate family to join the armed forces. The only relative with a comparable background was his father’s cousin, then Director of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior and Head of Moral Guidance in the Qatari Armed Forces. Because commissioned officers were still uncommon, the relative was widely known as Ahmed Al-Dabit—Ahmed the Officer.

Military training initially tested him severely. At 190 centimetres tall but only 62 kilograms, he struggled with some of the college’s physical demands. German athletics coach Kroch, himself a former champion, and supportive classmates encouraged him to persevere. Wearing the navy’s formal white uniform gave him a powerful sense of pride and made the effects of training visible. He gained sixteen kilograms in three months and thirty over two years. The experience taught patience and endurance and became an important stage in forming his character.

He entered the Maritime College in November 1987 and joined the first military college held in Doha in 1990, graduating as a naval second lieutenant. He began as a radar officer in a coastal-missile battery and advanced to command the unit. Courses in Egypt on coastal-defence systems and joint exercises with American, French and other friendly forces widened his technical knowledge. Throughout this period, he also worked deliberately on his English because he wanted to communicate directly and convey ideas without the ambiguity that interpretation can introduce.

Germany marked a decisive stage in his career and tested his ability to communicate across cultures. In July 2003, operations unexpectedly nominated him for a military course conducted entirely in German—the first assignment of its kind for a Qatari officer. Failure could have carried military consequences, and no previous example offered reassurance, yet he accepted the challenge. At the German Armed Forces Language Institute, an initial interview placed him at the first level because he understood none of the language. Persistent study gradually overcame that barrier and transformed his anxiety into confidence.

When he asked the courses officer, Colonel Juma Saeed Al Kubaisi, why he had been chosen, the answer was his reputation for accepting difficult challenges. Al Kubaisi recalled, in particular, Mohammed’s journey to Venezuela, where he climbed to Angel Falls—the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall—and explored the Amazon rainforest despite its risks.

The German programme demanded intense concentration. Classes and assignments filled the day from eight in the morning until nine at night, and he immersed himself so completely that he eventually began dreaming in German.

Joining the institute’s volleyball team accelerated both his language learning and his integration into German society. Weekly matches against teams from other states led to friendships across different circles. The language course lasted a full nine-month academic year, after which he spent another year at the Command and Staff College in Hamburg. The period ended on 24 June 2005 and left him with strong personal as well as professional connections.

He returned to Qatar in July 2005 with a gold medal, a Medal of Honour and the distinction of being the first Qatari to earn a general-staff qualification from the German Armed Forces Command and Staff College. Soon after arriving in Doha, he met Major General Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah, then Chief of Staff, who congratulated him and announced his appointment to Qatar’s first military attaché office in Berlin. The achievement strengthened his confidence and confirmed an unusual aptitude for languages. He next studied Spanish at Qatar Foundation’s language institute, completing four levels in six months.

On an Iraqi friend’s advice, he then travelled to Madrid for an intensive three-week course at the ELLA Institute, establishing a solid foundation in spoken Spanish. After returning to Doha, he began French as a strategic addition that supported exchanges and exercises with friendly French forces. Each language expanded both his professional range and his understanding of other cultures.

Sport accompanied his military career. He served for eight years as Assistant Secretary of the Squash Federation, joined the Army Club after its establishment and oversaw the military racket-sports division. From 10 October 2012 to 15 December 2016, he was Secretary-General of the Qatar Athletics Federation under Major General Dahlan Al Hamad. His days began with exercise at 4:45 in the morning, followed by leadership of the Armament Division within the Armed Forces’ General Authority for Supply and Equipment, a short rest at home and evening work at the federation.

After five years in that assignment, he returned to the navy as Commander of Coastal Defence.

More than thirty years of naval service were far more than routine employment to him. The sea, the white uniform, military travel and a close professional community gave the work a strong sense of purpose. He continues to remember the navy as a family he chose and as a source of confidence, motivation and enduring pride.

The career also brought contact with military units from France, the United States, GCC countries, Pakistan, India and other friendly states. He continually developed his abilities through specialist training, including frogman courses, leadership programmes and public-speaking instruction.

In 2018, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first proposed him as ambassador to Venezuela, then considered an appointment to the United States, before accrediting him as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Mexico. He initially hesitated because diplomacy was a new field and because leaving his elderly mother—may God protect her—revived the pain of earlier losses during travel. Her encouragement persuaded him to accept. He entered the mission despite objections from those who questioned appointing a naval officer as an ambassador.

He began his duties on 21 October 2018. Less than two months later, he hosted Qatar National Day at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mexico with his wife and children. Delivering the address in Spanish while wearing Qatari national dress demonstrated the practical value of his language study and drew an enthusiastic response. From the beginning, he used sport, academic and cultural activity to understand Mexican society, engage its institutions and introduce audiences to Qatar and the wider culture of the Arab East.

He approached diplomacy in Mexico as a direct cultural exchange. He joined national celebrations, accepted invitations from state governors and appeared in both Qatari and Mexican dress, demonstrating his respect for local customs while introducing people to Qatar. A traditional Bayt al-Sha‘r tent became a popular setting for photographs with the ambassador and a focal point for explaining Qatari hospitality. Through videos, public engagement and major football events organised over five years, he sought to counter stereotypes about Qataris, Arabs and Muslims and to make Qatar better known across Mexico. His fluency in Spanish, humility and confident public presence helped him build a distinctive cultural bridge. In practice, his role extended beyond formal representation: he also served as a lecturer, political interlocutor and active participant in community life.

Public success brought close scrutiny, but he understood that every action represented Qatar rather than himself alone. He therefore treated the country’s standing as a constant responsibility and worked carefully to protect it.

His achievements depended greatly on the stability created by his wife, Moza Al Kuwari. A graduate of the College of Fine Arts, she holds a bachelor’s degree in art education and a diploma in Islamic arts and Arabic calligraphy. Her dedication and encouragement sustained family life during his demanding military and diplomatic service and helped provide their children with a strong upbringing.