He was born in Istanbul as the 'second' son of a family from Skopje, making him 'al thani'(*) from the beginning.
When his grandfather was born, Skopje was a part of the Ottoman Empire; when his father was born, it was a part of Yugoslavia and it is now the capital of N. Macedonia.
At university, he studied mathematics.
He has worked for many years as an educator in the east and west of Turkey.
He has always been an avid reader and writer and passionate about journalism.
In Cambodia, where he worked as a journalist, he opened a school with financial support from businessmen in Turkey and Europe.
He has also lived in Sri Lanka and the U.S., where he was key in the establishment of educational institutions.
In 2016 he left Qatar, and would later seek asylum in the Netherlands.
He is married and has two children.

[(*) an inside joke: 'al Thani' is the royal family of Qatar, but thani also means 'second' in Arabic.]