Page 306 - UAE Truncal States

The External Influences

Qawasim clashes with English shipping

Decline of Qasimi trade
By the end of the 10th century the Qawasim had lost much of the
trade and the political influence which they had built up in previous
decades in spite of the opposition of the rulers of the Persian coast
and in spite of the fact that Oman not only claimed sovereignty over
the Qawasim but had also tried to expand its own possessions
within the Gulf proper. Partly due to the decline of the central power
in Persia, the struggle for supremacy in the Gulf reverted after about
1778 to inter-Arab warfare, during the course of which trade as well
as pearling suffered considerably, particularly for the Qawasim.
Having a much narrower economic base than their Omani enemies,
they relied more and more on the supplies which they captured from
Omani trading vessels passing through the Gulf to and from Basra.
With their forts on either side of the narrow entrance to the Gulf, the
Qawasim were able to intercept vessels and retreat to the safety of
numerous khaurs and lagoons of the shallow coasts which were
known only to them. Eventually this behaviour, while still attempt­
ing to regain their lost trade through wars against the Omanis, led
the Qawasim to attack and capture even ships flying British
colours.21
It has been alleged that the influence which the Wahhabis exerted
over the Qawasim instilled in them the religious fervour of the new
puritanical Muslim movement, giving them a licence not only to
convert by force to the Wahhabi persuasion but also to kill fellow
Muslims who resisted, and in the Gulf to attack and plunder British
Indian ships. However, the explanation of the extraordinarily daring
and also often cruel attacks on ships flying British flags22 is probably
more complex than that, as the Wahhabis did not influence the
Qawasim to such a great extent.
Although the authorities in Bombay probably thought otherwise,
the status of British merchant ships and naval vessels in the Gulf had
long since ceased to be that of uninvolved passers-by. Their very
presence caused resentment among the littoral powers; yet they were
welcome in the area to the people who could do good business with
them or could induce them to give support in time of war. But their
presence was resented even more because they were Christian; they
represented the quasi-local power of British India and the foreign
power of distant Great Britain. Their superior ships and armaments,
281