1972 Sharjawi coup d'état attempt

Political crisis in the United Arab Emirates 1972 Sharjawi coup Decolonization Sharjah in United Arab Emirates.svg 200px Map Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates January 24, 1972 - January 25, 1972 Emirate of Sharjah 25.3575 N 55.390833 E title Coup failed Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi killed Saqr Al Qasimi ousted by UAE and returned to exile in Egypt Sultan Al Qasimi named Sheikh United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates Sharjah Sharjah Supported by:United Kingdom United Kingdom Sharjah Sharjawi dissidents SharjahKhalid bin Muhammad Al QasimiUnited Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum SharjahSaqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi Sharjah Khalid loyalistsUnited Arab Emirates Union Defence Force Sharjah Saqr loyalistsEgypt 1972 Egyptian Mercenaries ~2,400 UDF 25 Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimihis son Ahmad1 bodyguard1 British officer (wounded)Several scouts wounded 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 Union Defence Force besieged Saqr and eventually forced his surrender. Background Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi was the ruler of Sharjah from 1951 to 1965, having succeeded his father, Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II. He was deposed shortly after opening an office of the Arab League in Sharjah, and welcoming one of their delegations.Graca John V. Da Heads of State and Government https://books.google.com/books?id=TzOxCwAAQBAJ Springer 30 August 2016 en 25 November 1985 9781349079995Joyce Miriam Ruling Shaikhs and Her Majesty's Government, 1960–1969: 1960–1969 2 August 2004 Routledge 9781135772536 https://books.google.com/books?id=IaA69nz7jYUC 30 August 2016 enPeck Malcolm C. Historical Dictionary of the Gulf Arab States Scarecrow Press 260 The British viewed Saqr and his support for Arab nationalism as a threat to their interests in the Trucial States leading to British officials, supported by the Al Qasimi family and led by Sir Terence Clark, to coordinate a coup in 1965 to crown Saqr's cousin Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi.Davidson Christopher M. The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival 2005 Lynne Rienner Publishers 158826274X Saqr would go into exile in Bahrain and eventually Cairo.Now the Dust has Settled De Butts Freddie Tabb House 1995 1873951132 Sharjah would be the last Emirate to see a British presence following independence, with the British Royal Air Force base at Sharjah being the last physical presence of the British colonial government. 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.Ghafoor Ahisha Mitchell Paul Secret deals ending Britain's control in Gulf revealed https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62713025 BBC 30 August 2022 24 December 2024Razzaq Takriti Abdel Colonial Coups and the War on Popular Sovereignty The American Historical Review June 2019 124 3 xii–xiv https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/124/3/878/5509795?login=false 24 December 2024 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. Saqr's motivation to act and attempt to seize power has been attributed, at least in part, to disaffection over Sheikh Khalid's agreement to a Memorandum of Understanding, signed on November 30, 1971, allowing Iran to station troops on the island of Abu Musa. Coup On 2 December 1971, the Trucial States declared independence and became the United Arab Emirates. Shortly after in January 1972, Saqr smuggled himself into Sharjah with a group of Egyptian mercenaries, seeking to restore his throne.Langton James How Sheikh Mohammed set up a military force and confronted the first crisis of the Union https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/how-sheikh-mohammed-set-up-a-military-force-and-confronted-the-first-crisis-of-the-union-1.813238 The National 23 December 2024 Saqr would be supported by local Arab nationalists such as Sultan Al Owais, however, due to the British withdrawal some months earlier, he failed to rally the population to his anti-Colonial cause. At approximately 2:30 PM Saqr and his forces took control of the Sheikh's palace with reports of gunfire and grenade explosions.My Early Life Al Qasimi Sultan bin Muhammad Bloomsbury 2011 9781408814208 285–287 During the fighting Khalid would be killed, either being captured and executed, or as a combatant alongside one of his bodyguards. However, within an hour of taking the palace, Saqr would be besieged by the Union Defence Force who were based out of the former RAF Sharjah who were quickly joined by a force from Dubai. Early in the morning of January 25 Saqr surrendered himself and his forces to UAE Minister of Defence and UDF commander, 22-year-old Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. 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. Khalid's younger brother Sultan would be named the new sheikh of Sharjah, passing over the older Abdelaziz which would lead to Abdelaziz to attempt to stage his own coup in 1987 which was also unsuccessful due to Emirati intervention.Huxley Christian A Central American Situation in the Gulf https://merip.org/1987/09/a-central-american-situation-in-the-gulf/ Middle East Research and Information Project 20 September 1987 14 January 2024 Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum 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. References Category:1972 in the United Arab Emirates Category:Coups d'état in the United Arab Emirates Category:1970s coups d'état Category:January 1972 in Asia Category:1972 conflicts Category:Islamic monarchies December 2024