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Sheikh Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi (born 1940) is the former Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost Emirate of the United Arab Emirates. He is the eldest son of Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, who ruled Ras Al Khaimah from 1948 until his death in 2010.
Khalid served as the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1958 until his removal from office by his father in June 2003. He currently resides in Sharjah, a neighboring Emirate. Khalid has repeatedly stated that his father, Sheikh Saqr, in 2004 reaffirmed in a royal decree that Sheikh Khalid – not his half-brother, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi – was the true Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. The claim has not been officially recognized by the Government of Ras Al Khaimah or the United Arab Emirates.
Khalid is one of eight brothers, most of whom hold official roles within the government of Ras Al Khaimah. [1] He undertook his elementary schooling in Ras Al Khaimah, his secondary education in Cairo and his higher education at Loughborough University, a public university located in the East Midlands of England in the United Kingdom.
Sheikh Khalid was named Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah in 1958. As Crown Prince, Sheikh Khalid oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Ras Al Khaimah Government and served as principal contact with all foreign governments. He led high-level diplomatic missions to the United States during the Nixon, Reagan and Clinton Administrations. In 1999, President Clinton personally received him in the White House.
He served as Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah, [2] the Ras Al Khaimah National Oil Company, [3] RAK Gas Commission [4] and RAK Cement Company. [5]
During his tenure as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Khalid promoted economic development including the expansion of both the International Airport and Saqr Port, the promotion of clean energy and agricultural initiatives, cement manufacturing and investment in health care.
Khalid has been called a reformer for his efforts to promote changes that would lead to greater popular participation in society in both the Emirates and the region as a whole. As the Arabic news network Al Jazeera noted, the "[r]eform minded Sheikh Khalid had asked for democratic changes in his Emirate and the Country as a whole which have later been fully accepted and integrated policies of the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates." [6] [7]
Khalid also built a reputation for hardline opposition to Iran and its controversial occupation of the Tunb Islands, which had been under the long historical control of Ras Al Khaimah, but were forcibly seized by Iran on November 30, 1971. [8] [9]
After 37 years in office, Khalid was removed as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler on June 14, 2003 by his father and replaced by his younger half-brother Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi. [10]
The removal of Sheikh Khalid as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler caused unrest in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) and was met with street protests. Thousands of demonstrators shouted "with our souls and blood we defend you Khalid" and "no other crown prince" following his expulsion. Order was restored when Abu Dhabi, the lead emirate of the UAE, sent armored vehicles to Ras Al Khaimah. [11]
Media reports at the time speculated that Sheikh Khalid was removed, in part, due to his support for women's rights and his opposition to Iran and its controversial occupation of the Tunb Islands. [12] In addition, Sheikh Khalid's opposition to the war in Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime was seen as counter to UAE policy [13]
Separate media reports attribute his removal from office to other factors, mainly that Sheikh Khalid was considered to be at odds with the political leadership of the UAE. Khalid's vocal hostility to the US intervention to depose Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime became a liability for the UAE. In 2003, he led a protest march of several hundred people through Ras-Al Khaimah that culminated with Khalid himself burning the American flag and allowed the local radio station to broadcast a consistently anti-US line. [13] This occurred at a time when the federal government guided by Sheikh Zayed in Abu Dhabi was strengthening cooperation with the US.
Once Khalid was deposed, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported the appointment of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al-Qasimi as crown prince without delay, which gave the impression that Abu Dhabi approved of the appointment. No reaction was forthcoming from Dubai. Those close to Shaikh Saqr al-Qasimi, the Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah, said that despite the fact that he was at the time approaching 85, he was still with full faculties. As such, the pressure that Sheikh Khalid's supporters put on him to reverse his decision was futile. He said to those attempting to mediate in the affair at the time: "These are my sons and I am free to make my own decisions." [14]
Despite Skeikh Khalid's repeated claims on his personal website (www.sheikhkhalidrak.com) that he has in his possession a decree re-instating him as crown prince, such a document has never been officially recognized by the Government or Ras Al Khaimah or the United Arab Emirates. The decree was never officially published in the UAE nor does it have an official document number, both of which are necessary for such a decree to take effect. For this reason, the official UAE informational website, www.uaeinteract.com lists Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ra's al-Khaimah. [15]
Moreover, the UAE embassy in Washington, DC stated officially that "Khalid bin Saqr Al-Qasimi currently holds no official role in the local government of the emirate or the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates. As such, his words, views, or expressions do not represent the official position of any governmental agency in the UAE, either local or federal." [16] [17]
According to The Guardian , "Khalid and his aides are trying to destabilize the current regime by creating international pressure. The strategy is to raise the stakes among the international community by suggesting aggressively that the existing leaders of Ras Al Khaimah – Khalid's brother and father – are in league with Iran and may be breaking international sanctions to support its nuclear ambitions." [18]
The Guardian has revealed that Sheikh Khalid has spent in excess of US$3.7m (£2.6m) for a team of the U.S. and European security strategists, lawyers and lobbyists in order to wage a campaign to, in their own words, "undermine the current regime's standing" and to force the leadership of the UAE in Abu Dhabi, which has powerful influence over the emirate, to "make a change". In other words, to precipitate a coup in Ras Al Khaimah. [19]
To this end, Sheikh Khalid has become vocal about the increasing influence of Iran in Ras Al Khaimah. [19] In a 2009 letter U.S. lawmakers he noted: "The supportive posture [RAK] takes toward the Islamic Republic of Iran is undermining the policies of the United States"...[RAK] has become "an increasingly important staging ground for Iranian efforts to circumvent international economic sanctions. [20]
According to published reports, now shown to have been funded by Khalid's lobbying team, Ras Al Khaimah has become a preferred port for Iranian smugglers to avoid customs and move nuclear materials – potentially for weapons – into Iran. George Webb, the head of the Canada Border Services Agency's Counter Proliferation Section, told Canada's National Post: [21]
While nominally in the U.A.E., the port is controlled by Iran and is situated just across the Gulf from Bandar Abbas, an Iranian city with a naval base and an airport capable of landing large transport planes. "Ras Al Khaimah is actually leased by the Iranian government, staffed by Iranian customs," Mr. Webb said, as he examined a classified satellite photo of the port.
Sheikh Khalid's U.S. communications team insists these claims are "well sourced", but they have been rejected by the UAE embassy in London and the US. The UAE also denied the Sheikh's claim that RAK has links to Iran's nuclear program and that a port in RAK has in effect become an Iranian base, allowing Tehran to avoid international sanctions. Instead the Embassy described the claims as attacks as "baseless and without foundation and should be seen in the context of his long-standing dispute with his family." [22]
"These appear to be old, scurrilous rumors which Sheikh Khalid has made on numerous occasions," a spokesman for the UAE said in a statement. "His claims are baseless and without foundation and should be seen in the context of his long-standing dispute with his family. We are surprised that these old allegations are now being rehashed once again." [19]
Published reports reveal that Khalid and his aides are attempting to destabilize the regime of his brother, Sheikh Saud, by creating international pressure through extensive lobbying in the US and Europe. The strategy is to raise the stakes among the international community by suggesting aggressively that the existing leaders of Ras Al Khaimah – Khalid's brother and father – are in league with Iran and may be breaking international sanctions to support its nuclear ambitions. [23]
California Strategies, a US west coast PR firm, has been employed to use blogs, Twitter accounts and a multimillion-pound PR and advertising budget to this end. [24] [25] And the plotters' allegations do not stop there. A private defense company, The Erinnyes Group Inc., run by a former member of the US air force special forces, Glenn Ignazio, has been hired to draw up a report into Ras al-Khaimah's security profile. [23]
Sheik Khalid has been criticized by the current regime in Ras Al Khaimah for political activities in the United States that raise awareness and document RAK's connection with Iran.
In addition, Sheikh Khalid hired Glenn Simpson, an ex- Wall Street Journal reporter with extensive experience in investigating how Islamic terrorism is financed. [26] [18]
Sheikh Khalid attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama and purchased billboards congratulating Mr. Obama on his victory. [27]
Sheikh Khalid has called for a clean, sustainable and independent energy future for Ras Al Khaimah and for increased educational opportunities, including a rapid expansion of international and cross-cultural student exchanges.
The Partnership is focused on the following initiatives:
On sovereignty and security matters, Al Qasimi is a strong supporter of the efforts of the United Arab Emirates and of the need for Ras Al Khaimah to work within the framework of the Federal Government. In this context, Khalid has long stood against Iran's occupation of the Greater and Lesser Tonb Islands and Abu Musa and strongly supports the United Arab Emirates efforts to bring the matter before the International Court of Justice and the United Nations. [29] [30] [31] These islands are of particularly strategic value because of their location at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, the only sea passage to the open ocean for most of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and through which 40 percent of the world's oil supply travels every year. [32]
Al Qasimi has announced "A Pledge For Progress". [33] It calls for:
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 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 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 (40 mi) of beach coastline. As of 2015, the emirate had a population of about 345,000.
Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (1781–1866) was the Sheikh of the Qawasim and ruler variously of the towns of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, Jazirah Al Hamra and Rams, all Trucial States in their time and now part of the United Arab Emirates. Briefly a dependent of the first Saudi Kingdom, his rule over Ras Al Khaimah ran from 1803–1809, when he was deposed by order of the Saudi Amir and restored in 1820, going on to rule until his death in 1866 at the age of 85. He was Ruler of Sharjah from 1814–1866, with a brief disruption to that rule in 1840 by his elder son Saqr. He was a signatory to various treaties with the British, starting with the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 and culminating in the Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853.
Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi was the Ruler of 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.
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.
The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truces, with the United Kingdom between 1820 and 1892.
Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, known professionally as Khalid Al Qasimi, was an Emirati royal and fashion designer in London who founded the Qasimi fashion label. He was the second son of Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, who has been ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah since 1972. Al Qasimi died on 1 July 2019 in London as a result of drug overdose.
The dynasties of the United Arab Emirates consist of the six ruling families of the seven Emirates.
Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi is the current ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. He became the chief of the ruler’s Emiri court in 1979, the head of the Municipal Council in 1986, and the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of the Emirate in June 2003. Then, he officially became the ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in 2010 after his father’s death.
Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) is a United Arab Emirates investment authority in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. It issues licenses to operate within RAKIA owned special economic zones, provides business facilities and warehouses and provides investment funding.
Al Heera is a suburb in Northern Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, traditionally home to the Darawishah, part of 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 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.
Sheikh Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi was Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1868–1883. His rule was unusually tumultuous and marked by intrigue, the secession of Sharjah's dependencies and constant conflict. He was also briefly the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1868–1869 and its wali, or governor, from 1908–1919.
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 Sultan Al Qasimi was Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1866 to 1868 and of Ras Al Khaimah from 1866 to 1867. His short rule was most notable for the means of his accession, which involved the murder of his nephew, and also his death, at the hands of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan in single combat.
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.
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.
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain and Ajman. The city is divided by a creek into two parts: old town in the west and Al Nakheel in the east.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi is the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates and the former chairman of RAK Ceramics.
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