The Constitution of Qatar ''( Dastūr Qatar'') is the supreme law of the

State of Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

. It came into effect on 9 April 2004. The constitution was overwhelmingly approved, with almost 98% in favour.

Preamble

The constitution lacks a preamble.

Parts of the Constitution

Some of the most important articles in the constitution are listed below:

Part One

#Article 1 –

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

is official religion of the state, and

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

a principal source of legislation. Its political system is democratic.

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

is the official language. #Article 2 –

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...

is the capital of the state. It can be transferred to any other place by law. The state cannot cede any of its territory. #Article 8 – The ruling family of the state is the

House of Thani The House of Thani ( ar, الثاني , translit=Al Thani) is the ruling family of Qatar, with origins tracing back to the Banu Tamim tribal confederation. History and structure The Al Thanis can be traced back to Mudar bin Nizar. The tribe w ...

. Rule shall be passed down from father to son, in the case that there is no son, rule shall be passed to whomever the emir names

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

. #Article 9 – The heir apparent must be a Muslim of a Qatari Muslim mother. #Article 16 – If the heir apparent is named head of state and is less than 18 years old, then rule shall be passed to a regency council with the majority of members to be amongst the ruling family.

Part Two

#Article 22 - The State shall provide care for the young, and protect them from corruption, exploitation, and the evils of physical, mental, and spiritual neglect. The State shall also create conducive circumstances for developing their capabilities in all fields based on sound education. #Article 23 - The state shall ensure, foster, and endeavour to spread education. #Article 27 - Private property is inviolable. #Article 29 - Natural wealth and its resources are the property of the state.

Part Three

#Article 34 - The

citizen Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

s of Qatar shall be equal in public rights and duties. #Article 35 - Before the law, all persons are equal and shall not be discriminated by sex, race, language, or religion. #Article 36 -

Personal freedom Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties m ...

is guaranteed. Torture is punishable by law. #Article 37 - Human privacy in inviolable. #Article 47 -

Freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

is guaranteed in accordance with the conditions and circumstances set forth in law. #Article 48 -

Freedom of press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerc ...

is guaranteed. #Article 49 - All citizens have the right to education. #Article 55 -

Public funds Government spending or expenditure includes all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. In national income accounting, the acquisition by governments of goods and services for current use, to directly satisfy the individual o ...

are inviolable. #Article 57 - All people that reside in the state must abide by public order and morality. #Article 58 -

Extradition Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdi ...

political refugees The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another entit ...

is prohibited. The law shall determine the conditions of granting

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another entit ...

Part Four

#Article 64 - The

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

is the

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

. He must be respected by all. #Article 66 - The emir represents the state, internally, externally, and in international relations. #Article 69 - The emir may declare

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...

in exceptional cases specified by law. #Article 71 - Defensive war can be declared by Emiri decree. Aggressive war is prohibited. #Article 72 - The Prime Minister is appointed by the emir. He can also accept his resignation.

Part Five

#Article 148 - No article of this constitution may be proposed for amendment before it being 10 years from the date the constitution has come into force.

References

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Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

2004 in Qatar 2004 in law