Page 58 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

could justify Rahmah’s attack on a Turkish vessel which happened to be
carrying a pass issued by the Resident at al-Basrah. As the Su'udTs were at war
with the Ottoman-Egyptian troops in central Arabia, ‘Abd Allah protested
against the fact that the British were affording protection to subjects of the
Turkish government on Gulf waters. He strongly objected to the action taken
by the Resident at al-Basrah in issuing passes to non-British vessels which he
regarded as enemies. He concluded by saying “As for those Turkish dogs, they
are my enemies, and wanted to sow discord between us.”381
Meanwhile, the Qawasim interpreted their agreement with the British
government as demanding respect for the life and property of those English of
the “sect of Jesus”, but not of “idolatrous Hindus”.382 The British authorities,
for their part, considered the plunder of the native Indian subjects as a
violation of the agreement. Matters between the two parties became worse
following the capture in the Red Sea of three vessels under the British flag by
Ibrahim, brother of Hasan b. Rahmah. Convinced that the Qawasim had
violated the agreement, the British government insisted on the immediate
restoration of the vessels and property or, alternatively, on the immediate
payment of their value in cash.383 It also demanded that Ibrahim be delivered
up for punishment and that the two sons of Hasan b. Rahmah be taken to the
Government of Bombay as hostages against the future behaviour of the
Qawasim.384 The QasimI chief contended that there had been no violation of
the pledge he had given two years earlier, because no English ship had been
attacked.385 He therefore declined the British demand, refusing to either
surrender Ibrahim or hand over his two sons as hostages. Upon receiving this
refusal, the British squadron made a futile attack on the town of Ra’s al-
Khaymah and then departed.386
Much of al-Dir‘Iyah’s attention for the past few months had been directed
towards the intensified war with the Turkish-Egyptian troops. Ibrahim Pasha,
who had recently taken command of the army in the final phase of this war, put
down the revolt of the tribes of the Hijaz against the Turkish governors, and
from there he advanced into the Su‘udi territories in central Arabia.
Nevertheless, the close contact between the Su‘udls and their allies on the coast
had not been interrupted, nor had the latest British action against Ra’s al-
Khaymah been tolerated. Upon receiving news of that event, ‘Abd Allah b.
Su'ud made it clear that the Qawasim were conducting their naval operations
with his consent. While repeating his assurance that British shipping would
not be harmed, ‘Abd Allah emphasized that attacks on the vessels and property
of others would continue and that booty taken from the enemies would not be
restored.387 He also added that:
The people......of Egypt, of Jedda, of Yemen, of Shoer and Makkella, of
Muscat, of Bussora, or of Iraq, and the Persian subjects of Saud b. Sooltan,
all these are our enemies, and by the Almighty aid, wherever we may find
them or their people we will assuredly slay the one and sieze the other, in
pursuance of the commands of that God whose praise is great 388
Not very long afterwards, the Su‘udl strongholds in Najd fell one after the
other in the face of the Turkish-Egyptian expeditions. Al-Dir‘Iyah itself was
besieged for several months, during which time contingents from the ‘UmanI
tribes of the area around al-Zahirah enlisted in the Su‘udl service and hurried
to al-Dir‘Iyah’s defence.389 The Qawasim, for their part, sent seventeen war

54