1972 Sharjawi coup d'état attempt

1972 Sharjawi coup
	Part of Decolonization
	; Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates
Date	January 24, 1972 - January 25, 1972
Location	Emirate of Sharjah 25°21′27″N55°23′27″E / 25.3575°N 55.390833°E
Result	Coup failed; Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi killed; Saqr Al Qasimi ousted by UAE and returned to exile in Egypt; Sultan Al Qasimi named Sheikh
Belligerents
Sharjah ; Supported by:; United Arab Emirates ; United Kingdom	Sharjawi dissidents; Supported by:; Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi † ; Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum	Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi
Units involved
Khalid loyalists; Trucial Oman Scouts ; Dubai police	Saqr loyalists; Egyptian Mercenaries
Strength
~2,400 Scouts	25
Casualties and losses
	Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi ; 1 bodyguard; 1 British officer (wounded); Several scouts wounded

Last updated January 04, 2025

In 1972, shortly after the formation of the United Arab Emirates, the former Sheikh of Sharjah, Saqr Al Qasimi, attempted to regain control over the emirate from his cousin Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. Although Saqr was able to secure the Emirate's palace, and kill Khalid, an intervention by the UAE's Trucial Oman Scouts besieged, and eventually forced Saqr's surrender.

Background

Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi had been the Sheikh of Sharjah from 1951 to 1965, having succeeded his father, Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II, and was deposed shortly after opening an office of the Arab League in Sharjah, and welcoming one of their delegations.^[1]^[2]^[3] The British viewed Saqr and his support for Arab Nationalism as a threat to their interests in the Trucial States leading to British officials, led by Sir Terence Clark, to coordinate a coup in 1965 to crown Saqr's cousin Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi.^[3]^[4] Saqr would go into exile in Bahrain and eventually Cairo.^[5] Sharjah would be the last Emirate to see a British presence during decolonization, with the British Royal Air Force base at Sharjah being the last physical presence of the British colonial government.^[6]

At the time of the coup, Khalid had become increasingly unpopular, especially among Sharjah's Arab nationalists, due to his handling, or lack thereof, of Iran's Seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.^[7]^[8] The Greater and Lesser Tunbs had been ruled by the Qasemi since before they migrated from the Persian coast to the present-day UAE in the 1720s.^[7] Despite being highly unpopular by the UAE's Arab population, the British government pressured Khalid and the rest of the UAE's leadership to agree to Pahlavi Iran's demands and sign a memorandum of understanding that effectively surrendered the Islands to Iran.^[8]

Coup

On January 24, 1971, the Trucial States where officially decolonized and became the United Arab Emirates. Shortly after on December 2, 1971, Saqr smuggled himself into Sharjah with 7 Bedouin loyalists and a group of 18 Egyptian mercenaries, seeking to restore his throne.^[8]^[6] Saqr would be supported by local Arab nationalists such as Sultan al-Oweis, however, due to the British withdrawal some months earlier, failed to rally the population to his anti-Colonial cause.^[8]

At approximately 2:30 PM Saqr and his forces took control of the Sheik's palace with reports of gunfire and grenade explosions.^[9] During the fighting Khalid would be killed, either being captured and executed, or as a combatant alongside one of his bodyguards.^[6]However, within an hour of taking the palace, Saqr would be besieged by the Trucial Oman Scouts who were based out of the former RAF Sharjah who were quickly joined by police from Dubai.^[8]^[6] Early in the morning of January 25 Saqr surrendered himself and his forces to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.^[9]

Aftermath

Saqr would be tried and imprisoned until 1979, after which he returned to exile in Egypt where he spent the rest of his life.^[8] Khalid's younger brother Sultan would be named the new Sheikh of Sharjah, passing over the older `Abd al-`Aziz which would lead to `Abd al-`Aziz to attempt to stage his own coup in 1987 which was also unsuccessful due to Emirati intervention.^[10]

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan wrote in his autobiography that during the coup, the leading concern among Emirati leadership was that it would spiral into a regional conflict that would "involve foreign factions, supporters and followers" mostly due to Saqr's support for the ideals of Gamal Abdel Nasser.^[6]

Related Research Articles

The United Arab Emirates is a country in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula located on the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Oman. The UAE consists of seven emirates and was founded on 2 December 1971 as a federation, after UK armed forces left the region. Six of the seven emirates declared their union on 2 December 1971. The seventh, Ras al Khaimah, joined the federation on 10 February 1972. The seven sheikdoms were formerly known as the Trucial States, in reference to the truce treaties established with the British in the 19th century.

The Emirate of Sharjah is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, which covers 2,590 square kilometres (1,000 sq mi) and has a population of over 1,400,000 (2015). It comprises the capital city of Sharjah, after which it is named, and other minor towns and exclaves such as Kalba', Al Dhaid, Dibba Al-Hisn and Khor Fakkan.

Ras Al Khaimah is the northernmost of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. The city of Ras Al Khaimah, abbreviated to RAK or RAK City, is the capital of the emirate and home to most of the emirate's residents. It is linked to the Islamic trading port of Julfar, its predecessor settlement. Its name in English means "headland of the tent". The emirate borders Oman's exclave of Musandam, and occupies part of the same peninsula. It covers an area of 2,486 km² (960 sq mi) and has 64 km of beach coastline. As of 2023, the emirate had a population of about 400,000.

Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi was an Emirati royal, politician, and a founder of the United Arab Emirates who served as the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, from 1965 until his assassination in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalba</span> City in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Kalba is a city in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is an exclave of Sharjah lying on the Gulf of Oman coast north of Oman. Khor Kalba, an important nature reserve and mangrove swamp, is located south of the town by the Omani border.

Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi was the Ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah from 1948 to 2010. On 10 February 1972, under his leadership, Ras Al Khaimah become the seventh Trucial State to join the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi is an Emirati politican, author, historian, and the current and 11th ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and a member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates since January 1972. He is best known for his historical publications, support for education, and preservation of cultural landmarks. He restored the Al Hisn Fort in Sharjah in 1970 and served as the United Arab Emirates first Minister of Education in 1971. As an academic, he has authored multiple historical documents as well as memoirs, studies, novels, poetry and plays regarding the Middle East and North Africa.

Al Hamriyah is the name of a coastal settlement of Sharjah on the northern perimeter of the United Arab Emirates. It is one of nine municipalities of the emirate, and is wedged between the emirates of Ajman (south) and Umm Al Qawain (north). It is notable for its lagoon popular with pleasure boaters and jet skiers as well as local fishermen who moor here, as well as store and repaire both rope and wire mesh fishing nets.

The Al Qasimi is an Arab dynasty in the Persian Gulf that rules Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, today forming two of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. They are one of the longest reigning royal families in the Arabian peninsula. Historically, they also ruled over the town of Lengeh as sheikhs for a century until its annexation by Iran in 1887.

The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations to the south of the Persian Gulf whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truces, with the United Kingdom between 1820 and 1892.

Al Heera is a suburb in Northern Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, traditionally home to the Al Bu Shamis section of the Na'im tribe. At one stage declaring its independence from Sharjah, with its own Sheikh, it formally became part of the Emirate of Sharjah in 1942 on the death of its Ruler, Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al Shamsi. A coastal settlement with a small harbour formerly used by a number of fishermen and pleasure boat owners, its main distinguishing feature today is its police station, converted in 2019 into the 'Al Heera Literature Society' building.

Saqr III bin Sultan Al Qasimi was the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from May 1951 to 24 June 1965.

Sheikh Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi (1883–1914) was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1883–1914. He took control over Sharjah in a coup during the absence of his uncle, Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, and ruled both Sharjah and, from 1900 until his death in 1914, Ras Al Khaimah.

Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1914–1924 and Ras Al Khaimah from 1914–1921. He acceded on the death of Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi. His rule was tumultuous and unpopular, marked by internecine conflicts and public discontent and saw the final disintegration of the Al Qasimi's joint rule over Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. Deposed as Ruler of Sharjah in 1924, he went on to become ruler of Dhaid and Kalba and a highly influential figure in the Shamaliyah.

Sheikh Sultan II bin Saqr Al Qasimi was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1924 to 1951. His father having ceded the rule of Sharjah to Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, Sultan found himself dispossessed and married the daughter of Abdulrahman bin Shamsi, the headman of Al Heera. Buoyed by Khalid's unpopularity and Abdulrahman's force of personality and arms, Sultan deposed Khalid and became Ruler of Sharjah. However, he found the interior of the country dominated by Bedouin tribes and the East coast increasingly dominated by the former Ruler, Khalid bin Ahmad, leaving Sultan the effective ruler of a cluster of coastal settlements, many of which constantly tried to secede from his rule. He is cited as having presided over a low ebb in the power of the Al Qasimi, formerly a powerful maritime federation.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Salim Al Qasimi was Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1921–1948. His long and turbulent rule was characterised by internecine family and tribal disputes and he was finally removed as Ruler in a 1948 coup.

Humaid bin Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi was Ruler of Ajman, one of the Trucial States which today form the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1910–1928. His rule was marked by a running conflict with the Al Bu Shamis and their charismatic Sheikh, Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al Shamsi.

Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi was the first recognised leader of the Al Sharqi Ruling family of Fujairah, one of the Trucial States and today one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He led Fujairah in a number of insurrections against Al Qasimi rule, presiding over a turbulent time when the emirate was practically independent but denied recognition of status as a Trucial State in its own right by the British.

Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al Shamsi was the Sheikh, or head man, of the township of Al Heera, today a suburb of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. A highly influential and often divisive figure in regional politics during the early 20th century in the Trucial States, he was referred to by one British Political Resident as ‘a stormy petrel of the Trucial Coast, a man feared by everyone in and around Sharjah’.

The 1987 Sharjawi coup or the 1987 Emirati crisis was a political crisis in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when, due to economic recession due to the 1980s oil glut, the brother of Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the Sheikh of the Emirate of Sharjah, Sheikh `Abd al-`Aziz bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, attempted to stage a bloodless palace coup seizing key positions throughout Sharjah with military elements loyal to him. The coup destabilized the foundation of the still young UAE, and threatened to break the union back into its constituent Emirates, however, it would ultimately fail due to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum convincing the other Emirati leaders to reinstall the deposed Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi.

References

↑ Graca, John V. Da (25 November 1985). Heads of State and Government. Springer. ISBN 9781349079995 . Retrieved 30 August 2016.
↑ Joyce, Miriam (2 August 2004). Ruling Shaikhs and Her Majesty's Government, 1960–1969: 1960–1969. Routledge. ISBN 9781135772536 . Retrieved 30 August 2016.
1 2 Peck, Malcolm C. Historical Dictionary of the Gulf Arab States. Scarecrow Press. p. 260.
↑ Davidson, Christopher M. (2005). The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 158826274X.
↑ De Butts, Freddie (1995). Now the Dust has Settled. Tabb House. ISBN 1873951132.
1 2 3 4 5 Langton, James. "How Sheikh Mohammed set up a military force and confronted the first crisis of the Union". The National . Retrieved 23 December 2024.
1 2 Ghafoor, Ahisha; Mitchell, Paul (30 August 2022). "Secret deals ending Britain's control in Gulf revealed". BBC . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Razzaq Takriti, Abdel (June 2019). "Colonial Coups and the War on Popular Sovereignty". The American Historical Review . 124 (3): xii–xiv. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
1 2 Al Qasimi, Sultan bin Muhammad (2011). My Early Life. Bloomsbury. pp. 285–287. ISBN 9781408814208.
↑ Huxley, Christian (20 September 1987). "A Central American Situation in the Gulf". Middle East Research and Information Project . Retrieved 14 January 2024.

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[Heads_of_State_and_Government-1] Graca, John V. Da (25 November 1985). Heads of State and Government. Springer. ISBN 9781349079995 . Retrieved 30 August 2016.

[Ruling_Shaikhs_and_Her_Majesty's_Government,_1960-1969:_1960–1969-2] Joyce, Miriam (2 August 2004). Ruling Shaikhs and Her Majesty's Government, 1960–1969: 1960–1969. Routledge. ISBN 9781135772536 . Retrieved 30 August 2016.

[peck-3] 1 2 Peck, Malcolm C. Historical Dictionary of the Gulf Arab States. Scarecrow Press. p. 260.

[4] Davidson, Christopher M. (2005). The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 158826274X.

[5] De Butts, Freddie (1995). Now the Dust has Settled. Tabb House. ISBN 1873951132.

[National-6] 1 2 3 4 5 Langton, James. "How Sheikh Mohammed set up a military force and confronted the first crisis of the Union". The National . Retrieved 23 December 2024.

[BBC-7] 1 2 Ghafoor, Ahisha; Mitchell, Paul (30 August 2022). "Secret deals ending Britain's control in Gulf revealed". BBC . Retrieved 24 December 2024.

[ahr-8] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Razzaq Takriti, Abdel (June 2019). "Colonial Coups and the War on Popular Sovereignty". The American Historical Review . 124 (3): xii–xiv. Retrieved 24 December 2024.

[Qasimi-9] 1 2 Al Qasimi, Sultan bin Muhammad (2011). My Early Life. Bloomsbury. pp. 285–287. ISBN 9781408814208.

[10] Huxley, Christian (20 September 1987). "A Central American Situation in the Gulf". Middle East Research and Information Project . Retrieved 14 January 2024.

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v t e List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
1910s	Italo-Turkish War World War I Middle Eastern theatre Battle of Robat Karim Arab Revolt Armenian genocide Assyrian genocide Mount Lebanon starvation Unification of Saudi Arabia Simko Shikak revolt 1919 Egyptian revolution Turkish War of Independence Anglo-Turkish War Al-Jazeera Front Greco-Turkish War Turkish–Armenian War Franco-Turkish War Revolts United States Mahmud Barzanji revolts
1920s	Franco-Syrian War Iraqi Revolt (1920) Intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine Adwan Rebellion Arab separatism in Khuzestan Great Syrian Revolt Sheikh Said rebellion
1930s	Ararat rebellion Ahmed Barzani revolt Simele massacre Saudi–Yemeni War (1934) Goharshad Mosque rebellion 1935–1936 Iraqi Shia revolts 1935 Yazidi revolt 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine Dersim rebellion
1940s	World War II Italian bombing of Palestine Allied invasion of Iraq Syria–Lebanon campaign Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran 1943 Barzani revolt Al-Waziri coup Al-Wathbah uprising Kurdish separatism in Iran Iran crisis of 1946 Arab–Israeli conflict 1948 Arab–Israeli War Suez Crisis 1967 Six-Day War 1973 Yom Kippur War 1982 Lebanon War
1950s	1952 Egyptian revolution 1953 Iranian coup d'état Jebel Akhdar War Cyprus Emergency Suez Crisis Yemeni–Adenese clan violence 1958 Lebanon crisis 1958 Iraqi revolution 1959 Mosul uprising
1960s	Cyprus crisis of 1963–1964 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict First Iraqi–Kurdish War Second Iraqi–Kurdish War Dhofar Rebellion North Yemen Civil War Feb. 1963 Iraqi coup Mar. 1963 Syrian coup Nov. 1963 Iraqi coup Aden Emergency 1964 Hama riot Israeli–Palestinian conflict 1948 Palestine war First Intifada Second Intifada 1966 Syrian coup d'état
1970s	Black September in Jordan 1972 Sharjawi coup d'état attempt Yemenite War of 1972 Turkish invasion of Cyprus Shatt al-Arab clashes Lebanese Civil War Political violence in Turkey Islamist uprising in Syria 1977 Shia uprising in Iraq NDF Rebellion Yemenite War of 1979 Iranian Revolution Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution 1979 Qatif Uprising Grand Mosque seizure 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq
1980s	Iran–Iraq War 1980 Turkish coup d'état Kurdish–Turkish conflict Turkey–PKK conflict South Yemen civil war 1986 Egyptian conscripts riot 1986 Damascus bombings 1987 Sharjawi coup d'état attempt Abu Nidal's executions
1990s	Gulf War (1990–1991) 1991 Iraqi uprisings Terror campaign in Egypt (1990s) Yemeni Civil War (1994) Iraqi Kurdish Civil War Islamic insurgency in Saudi Arabia (2000–present) Operation Desert Fox al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen 1999 Shia uprising in Iraq
2000s	Iraq War Balochi insurgency in Iran 2004 Qamishli riots Houthi insurgency in Yemen Iran–Israel proxy conflict 2006 Lebanon War Fatah–Hamas conflict South Yemen insurgency
2010s	2011 Bahraini uprising Egyptian Crisis Sinai insurgency Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present) Syrian civil war Turkish involvement in Syria Syrian War spillover in Lebanon Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) War in Iraq (2013–2017) Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) Yemeni crisis Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
2020s	2021 Beirut clashes Israel–Hamas war Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) Red Sea crisis
This list includes World War I and later conflicts (after 1914) of at least 100 fatalities each Prolonged conflicts are listed in the decade when initiated; ongoing conflicts are marked italic, and conflicts with +100,000 killed with bold.