His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, writes history and at the same time creates it. Even if this creation is not direct, His Highness is part of this history industry as a culture, education, mission, and a stance at the same time. We note in this historical article that His Highness directly witnessed political, diplomatic, social, cultural events and facts related to the region, since he was a young man.
The days, experiences, and events added to his wisdom, insight, and exemplary management. A leader in all his capacities; as a ruler, a writer, a human being, a father, a listener, a reader, and the visioner throughout his daily work. He is also the researcher, the historian, the documenter, the archivist, and the examiner of information, images, documents, and maps. From various angles and measures.
Reliable Sources
This is the nature of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi in historical research. His Highness supports his research with sources and records in his documentary approach to narrate for the ordinary and specialized readers. Therefore, we see His Highness referring in the conclusion of his book “Power and Trade Struggle in the Gulf” to his method of analysis and examination by saying that he conducted this expanded study for the book on the basis of almost total reliance on documented primary sources from the records of European companies, which were kept in archives and libraries. “Power and Trade Struggles in the Gulf”, covers events from 1620 to the year 1820. It is, as His Highness indicates, a period of strife and power struggles in the region. I brought in this remark here, to indicate the drastic complications in obtaining documents containing specific facts about the struggle for power. Yet, despite this complexity in the process of searching for the truth to the degree of complexity, His Highness insists to rely solely on authentic and verified documents.
Transparency
In his research method, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah also resorts to correcting the false narratives that appear in historical literature, documents, or archival records. His Highness declares clearly in the introduction to his book “Power Struggles and Trade in the Gulf” that the main objective of this book is to provide a logical explanation for the events that took place in the region from 1620 to 1820. Then correcting the erroneous accounts in the book called “Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia”, which is written by John Lorimer between 1908 and 1914.
Clarity
The book “Al Qawasim and the British Aggression (1797-1820)” is based on tens of “filtered” reports, from hundreds and perhaps thousands of reports with the signatures of many political, naval, high-ranking, civil and military leaders. Next to these exhausting reports, there is a researcher who scrutinizes personalities in the texts, which is what His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi does. Besides this research methodology, these reports reveal British hypocrisy and open misconceptions in allegations of piracy. It is an issue that His Highness preoccupied himself with in more than one publication, and considerable research. Once again, with reports, documents, and records which are always the explicit material of history that His Highness works on. One of the research projects which is supported by hundreds of reports written by British agents and their delegates finds that British policy makers in India were determined to eliminate the maritime influence of Al Qwasim in the Gulf. It was clear that the war was one of trade. Eventually, the British were able to convince themselves that it was a war waged to rid the Gulf of piracy. And with or without reason they had no doubt that the pirates were Al Qawasim and accused them of every evil act that could occur in the seas around them.
Evidence and Reports
With evidence, examination of reports and academic review of documents, His Highness demonstrated that the British accusations were false. However, these fabrications continued to recur in the accounts of British representatives and their Indian delegates.
Proving the fact that Al Qawasim were completely innocent of the fabricated accusations is the common theme in the writings of His Highness. Nevertheless, history has an aspect of veracity. Hence history has proven that all the actions that the British attributed to Al Qawasim as piracy, to be untruthful. Among the false descriptions are those described by “Lorimer”. Thus, if there was any piracy, then it is in fact British piracy. Rather, His Highness says in this book, Al Qawasim defended themselves against British piracy. His Highness says elsewhere “not all pirates and assailants were Arabs, and not all Arabs were Qawasim. There have been Indian pirates, and French raiders. Regardless, for some strange reason they had never called pirates”.
Not only did His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah write field historical research, studies and literature that reveal the deceptive British narrative about piracy. Rather, he was and still is referring in his speeches and on specific occasions to the innocence of Al Qawasim from the piracy narrative.
Distortion
On the fifth of April 1983, His Highness received a delegation of researchers and professors from German universities. On that day His Highness reviewed with the delegation the history of the Emirates. His Highness explained how the Qawasim resisted the British attacks at that time until the British were able to defeat them, and imposed agreements that establish their presence on the land of the Qawasim. Nonetheless, they were not satisfied with that, but rather distorted that struggle, describing it as piracy in order to justify for themselves the occupation of the country”. Page 170. The Consolidation Years 1979-1987 - Part II.
The history of the region and the Qawasim’s political, maritime, economic roles and cultural aspects constitute organized daily works of His Highness in terms of time or the written material that he produces with high accuracy. This practical context is conveyed to us by a radio interview conducted by the BBC with His Highness in 1985. The presenter of the programme mentioned that His Highness read, in the framework of his research on the history of the region and the role of the Qawasim, no less than twenty thousand pages of documents. He indicated that his ancestors, the Qawasim, were great merchants working at sea and managed no less than 870 ships in the time of the Napoleonic War. They were in constant conflict with the East India Company run by the British, which sought to control the trade routes between Britain and India. Because of the conflict, the British worked to link the name of the Qawasim to piracy. Page 89, Talks of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Part One.
Essence
This was more than 35 years ago, during which His Highness also read tens of thousands of pages of recent documents. Moreover, it is necessary here that we are briefed of the methodology utilized by His Highness. This essence that affirms the historical truth that His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah reaches. The BBC states that the ruler of Sharjah studied the records of the East India Company in Mumbai, the records of the British India Office in London. As well as the original texts of nineteenth-century treaties found in Portugal.
The radio program quoted His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah by saying that he wished he had been the ruler of the Qawasim family in the days of Napoleon, to visit London and inform the British government at that time that its policy was based on a set of fabrications. Page 89, Talks of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Part One.
Al Qawasim were not pirates. They were lords of trade and masters of the sea. His Highness affirms this fact in his book “Under the Flag of Occupation,” pages 73 and 74. He says: “the Qawasim built an immense commercial fleet that roamed the seas, not to only transfer merchandise but also for trade. The commercial fleet of the Qwasim was previously converted into a naval one after equipping it with cannons and covering the sides of its ships with layers of palm trunks to absorb the blasts of the enemy’s cannonballs.
Not only does His Highness explain the commercial and military purpose of the Qawasim fleet, but He notes in his book “Under the Flag of Occupation” the number of ships that made up that fleet. He also mentions the names of the owners of those ships, who were from Ras Al Khaimah, Al Rams, Al Jazeera Al Hamra, Al Hamriyah, Sharjah, Al Heera, Al-Fisht, and Khorfakkan. This was in the year 1830. The names of the ship owners can be found in pages 74, 75 of the book: “Under the Flag of Occupation.”
Strained relationship
One of the manifestations of the tension that prevailed in the relationship between the British and Sharjah in the forties of the twentieth century is what His Highness mentioned in his book “Tale of a City”. As the relationship between the British and the government of Sharjah represented by Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi throughout the year 1947 was bad. The British authorities resorted to all means to make Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi sign the renewal of the agreement for the Sharjah Air Station. Although when Britain became aware of his unwavering refusal it began to build accusations and threats. Page 372. It is the same tone as the British novel related to piracy. However, the tension here reaches a point of taking measures against Sharjah. In 1948, the two siblings, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi and Sheikh Muhammad bin Saqr Al Qasimi, refused to accept the Civil Aviation Agreement in Sharjah. Hence, on the twenty-third of August 1948, instructions were issued to, Mr. Bailey in Bahrain to start the sanctions imposed on Sharjah and its people.
The narrative of the British
What is also noteworthy in the context of the sequence in the narrative of the British in the region, initiating from the untruth of piracy and ending with the sanctions against Sharjah, is that His Highness was able to obtain British documents stating that the British government participated in arranging the procedures for the resettlement of Jews to Palestine. Sharjah would be the main crossing for this migration. His Highness says in his book “Tale of a City”: after Jews occupied Palestine, they began to mobilize Jews from all parts of the world. Meanwhile, the information, among Arabs, was that this would be conducted by steamships from Europe and by air from Baghdad via Habbaniyah, by the British who controlled Iraq. Nonetheless, no Arab could come to imagine that Sharjah would be the principal juncture for Jews from India, East Asia, Russia, Germany, and Poland. I was then able to discover this through British documents condemning the British government, of participation in arranging such immigration through Sharjah Airport by the officer at the British Agency in Sharjah Patrick Stobart..”
As usual, His Highness ascertains the facts through documents, citations, texts and seals. Whereby these documents are verified by a confidential letter Mr Bailey in Bahrain, dated March 8, 1950. See: “Tale of a City”.
The conclusion for those who read the historical writings of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah is that the Qawasim are people of commerce, and the British were fierce competitors for them in the region by imposing passage passports for ships that trade in the Gulf. Therefore, His Highness says in his book: “The Qawasim and the British Aggression” that the Qawasim believed that trade was the only source of livelihood in their arid country. Moreover, trade with the Indian ports in particular was of great importance to the Qawasim, as it provided them with most important types of goods, food and wood for ships. I pointed out these points about the Qawasim trade in particular, so that the reader could review the piracy lie, which is the focus of these academic and field documentary studies.
I would like to invite the reader to pause at the Qawasim’s refusal to establish the aviation station in Sharjah in 1931. An important detail that His Highness mentions in his book “My Early Life”, page 55. He elaborates further in his book “Sharjah Air Station between East and West”. His Highness adds in “My Early Life”: my father was opposed to the establishment of the aviation station in Sharjah in 1931. His demand was that the aviation station be civil and not for military purposes. He removed any signs placed on the ground to build that station. Thus, the British decided on that day to deport him from Sharjah, had it not been for the British accepting the conditions presented by my father in a letter to guarantee protecting the independence and sovereignty of Sharjah.
Geographical researcher
Not only is His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah well-informed of the region’s history, maritime conflicts, trade and power struggles. He also read the geography of the region, the physical and political geography. Through the same research method of examining documents. Collecting them from reliable libraries, reputable universities, and research institutions. When I read the historical publications written by a ruler, I witnesses how much some tried to withhold information from His Highness even though they knew who he was. They are aware of his respected leadership and cultural stature among the universities of the world. Regardless, His Highness was and still bears the consequences of being a man of knowledge, science, history, and research. Proceeding to the furthest reaches of his writings with calmness and inner beauty.
Incident
His Highness narrates an incident that occurred to him at the National Archives centre in the Portuguese city of Lisbon with the director of the centre. They discussed the practices of the Portuguese in the region, and the director was defensive implicitly but directly, regarding one of the Portuguese officials and said that the doings of that officer describe him, not a nation. His Highness read a message from Alfonso to Dom Manuel III: “my Lord, when I set foot on the land of Muscat, I commenced to demolish that accursed place named the mosque. In accordance with your orders.” His Highness says that the director became infuriated and demanded that no kind of documents be allowed to be presented to His Highness.
This is not the first situation in which His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, is exposed to a nerving situation that impedes his research work in international libraries and research centres. Nevertheless, he tolerated recklessness, and misunderstanding. He searched the sources of his research with the composure of a historian looking for the truth, whether it was a historical or geographical fact.
Margin date
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi is a man of books. He reads and reviews more than 300 pages daily. He writes on political history, and on the geographical, social, and economic history of the region. Thus, we observe culture, and we learn from history and contemplate its days, fluctuations, and events. I would like to highlight here that the narration of history by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in this specialized research manner is at the same time a narration of the history of education, and scouts. Especially in his book “My Early Life”.
History is not always political, and geography is not constantly geological or political. In the writings, research and studies of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, he pictures, for example, the first schools in Sharjah. He also depicts for us the British cinema in the desert environment. In addition to the first theatrical show in Sharjah. All of which are forms of history. Describing the tribes and cities of Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah, their professions, and work is also a social history that is not absent from the writing of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. The history of neighbourhoods Sharjah is also present in “Under the Flag of Occupation.”
Notable events
The history of poetry in the thirties is known to us from the social history of Sharjah. The outbreak of smallpox in Sharjah in 1935 is another history of people's lives in the first half of the twentieth century. This also includes the outbreak of cholera epidemics in Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain. His Highness specified it with a precise date. He says that the epidemic appeared in September 1858. In Ras Al Khaimah alone, one thousand and three hundred victims of the epidemic fell. “In Umm Al Quwain, the deceased were thrown into graves and pits, with death and wailing filling the roads.".
Unforgettable stance
Creating history, participating in its making, writing, examining its documents and manuscripts, are the work of men who behold attributes of being intellectuals and bold with the composure to pursue knowledge. And most importantly patient to reactions that sometimes amount to an accusation or semi-accusation. Regardless, reassured men are comforted within themselves. They are not swayed by anger, sentiments, or extreme opinions. Rather they are soothed by the truth. I refer here to what His Highness went through: as He narrates in “My Early Life”, Part II, that the American Consul in Dubai called him in January 1986 and asked him to meet an American delegation that was then visiting the country, (see pages 218 and 219). His Highness met the delegation and discussed some issues about American policy in the Middle East. His Highness spoke, bravely, and plainly. The American delegation consisted of three people. His Highness says: “they left me not believing what they heard”. As they did not and will not hear such words except from somebody from some Anti-American from the Soviet Union, steeped in communism. On that they unanimously agreed on their opinion of me”.
His Highness says, at the beginning of June 1986, he met a British acquaintance of his. This British friend said to His Hghness: I was yesterday with an American friend, a senator in the US Congress. And when I mentioned to him that I would meet you, he asked me: why do you have a relationship with this individual (referring to His Highness, “he is the red prince, communist to the core.” His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah wears his Emirati Arab national outfit. Flawless white clothing. Just as there is no flaw in his pen as he pursues historical facts to purify them from falsehood and lies. Like how the good wheat is purified from weeds. Hence, nothing remains in the memory except the correctness of the truth. Anything else is mere intellectual piracy with invalid sources.
Algeria in the heart
On the second of January 1982, Ahmed Ben Bella visited Sharjah, where he was received with remarkable welcoming, and the citizens staged a rally in KhorFakkan in celebration of the Algerian president.
Algeria was and still is present in the memory and heart of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. His Highness visited Algeria in March 1986 at the invitation of Algerian President Chadli Bendjedid. His Highness gave a lecture at the Palace of Culture in the Algerian capital where he said: in Algeria the French controlled the state, land, trade, agriculture, cities, language and culture. Everything except for the people. (The Consolidation Years 1979-1987 - Part II), page 186. Algeria as a country, people and history for His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah is seen culturally and intellectually in a broader and more comprehensive horizon that is Africa. Thus, His Highness investigates to reveal the historical roots of the relationship between Arabs and Africans and the depth of interaction between them. His Highness called upon scholars, thinkers, and research centres to investigate this African-Arab cultural role, in a lecture delivered by His Highness at the opening of Sharjah Hall at the University of Khartoum in February 1987.
In that lecture, His Highness points out to the Arab African cultural contact and its expressions in arts and language by saying “the Arab-African civilizational connection was a two-way contact that led to the transfer of Arab cultural influences to the African people. It also had a corresponding impact on the Arab arts, and some linguistic terms of Arabic. This is observed in the Arabian Gulf region and the Arabian Peninsula”.
Source: Al-Khaleej Newspaper - Special Edition