Abdullah Almarzouqi

Dr Abdullah Faraj Almarzouqi is a Qatari broadcaster and writer and a familiar figure in the country’s cultural and media life. He entered radio as a child and developed the experience that enabled him to present major religious and cultural programmes on Qatar Television. After retirement, he continued to support younger media professionals and launched initiatives in the service of Arabic, while remaining a close and influential presence within his family.

He was born in 1960 on him bin Thani Street in Freej Musheireb, into a traditional, conservative Qatari family of limited means. His father worked in construction, and the family later lived in Old Al Ghanim near the Qatar House of Books. At an early age, he studied the Qur’an with Sheikh Ahmed Al-Hammadi—may God have mercy on him—who taught generations of pupils to read before they wrote, brought them closer to Arabic and strongly influenced his interests and character. He also studied Arabic with the late Dr Abdul Aziz Matar and the distinguished teacher Zuhdi Abu Khalil.

Before entering primary school, he learned to read through frequent visits to the Qatar House of Books and through magazines including Majid and Samir.

His path into knowledge began early: the first words he memorised were verses of the Qur’an, giving him a clear command of Arabic. Learning to read at the Qatar House of Books prepared him for formal education at Khalid bin Al-Walid Primary School, Doha Preparatory School and secondary school.

By the end of secondary school, he had already chosen his direction. He entered Qatar University to specialise in Arabic and earned a bachelor’s degree in the language through the Department of Media.

He entered media while still in the fifth grade of primary school. In 1973, he began presenting children’s programmes on Qatar Radio with broadcaster Amina Mohammed Al-Kuwari. Other young participants who later became prominent in cultural and media life included Widad Al-Kuwari, Hessa Al-Awadi and Khatun Al-Haidar, alongside many actors and broadcasters. He gradually presented several programmes for children, including the series “Fass Thom”, performed in several voices with Amina Al-Kuwari across the thirty days of Ramadan in 1976.

In late 1977, he joined Qatar Television’s announcing team and, on 8 May 1978, was formally appointed as a broadcaster, fulfilling an ambition he had held since childhood. Appearing on screen at sixteen was unusual for both him and viewers, but his self-confidence and his family’s support encouraged him to continue. He trained under leading broadcasters, including Kawthar Matar, the late Laila Al-Atrash and the late Fawzi Khamis, learning both the art of delivery and the rules of Arabic.

From the moment he entered television, he felt that he belonged there and worked hard to prove his ability. He progressed from continuity announcing between local news bulletins to recorded programmes, live broadcasts and then the news itself. Among his best-known productions was the weekly live religious programme “Ask the People of Knowledge”, in which viewers submitted questions. Guests included the late Sheikh Mohammed Al-Ghazali, Dr Mohammed Amara, Dr Ahmed Omar Hashem, Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and Sheikh Salah Abu Ismail.

He also became known for “Reflections on Surahs of the Holy Qur’an”, another weekly live programme involving viewers. He read news bulletins on many Arab television channels, took part in local and regional conferences and appeared as a guest on programmes across the Arab world, most often to discuss Arabic, culture and education.

In 1988, he was appointed Head of Broadcasters as part of Qatar’s effort to empower young people and entrust them with important responsibilities. He justified that confidence by contributing to the development of Qatari media and serving his country through the role.

His desire to study Arabic in greater depth never diminished. Influenced by a father who recited the Qur’an without linguistic error and took pleasure in its language, he decided to pursue postgraduate study despite warnings about the difficulty of the specialisation. He chose Dar Al-Ulum at Cairo University, whose graduates included His Excellency Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, His Excellency Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari and other figures who later held senior positions in Qatar. In 1998, Al-Marzouqi earned a master’s degree with distinction and first-class honours for his critical study “Ibrahim Al-Arrayedh as a Poet”.

In 2004, six years after completing his master’s degree, he added a doctorate from the same faculty. His thesis, “Modern Poetry in Qatar: Its Development and Artistic Trends”, also received distinction and first-class honours.

In 2005, one year after receiving his doctorate, he was appointed Head of Media at the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage. He also chaired the media committees of several cultural festivals in Doha.

In 2006, he was invited to join the Higher Education Commission. He was subsequently appointed an expert and adviser in the Scholarship Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, where he directed the programmes for Arab and Asian countries.

In 2022, he launched the Renewed Media initiative to strengthen the abilities of Qatari media professionals. The project sought to attract national talent, develop television practice, train broadcasters in delivery, correct linguistic errors and discover a new generation of faces for Qatar Television. He also called for the plan to be expanded through cooperation between Qatar Media Corporation and Qatar University’s departments of Media and Arabic Language.

His media work extended beyond Qatar to Nile TV and Egyptian, Syrian and Libyan television. He covered conferences attended by Qatar’s rulers across successive eras, from the late Father Amir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, through His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

His diligence, perseverance, ambition and commitment to personal development made him a model for his children. They followed his example and established successful careers. His eldest daughter, Iman, is an engineer; Haifa is a department head at Kahramaa; and Abeer also chose engineering and was studying for a master’s degree in Britain. His elder son is a pilot with Qatar Airways, while the younger is a mechanical engineer with the airline.

Throughout his media career, he encountered harassment and difficulty on the path to his achievements. He regards trials and challenges as an inseparable part of life and the other face of success; patience and strong self-confidence helped him overcome them.

He wrote a weekly column in Al-Sharq newspaper entitled “Linguistic Pitfalls”, in which he corrected grammatical errors made by broadcasters.

Through the Qatari Authors’ Forum at the Ministry of Culture, he participated in many activities and presented “Literary Flashes” for several months on the Forum’s official YouTube channel. He also co-presented “Your Linguistics” with linguist Dr Ahmed Al-Janabi.