Page 177 - Arabian Studies (II)

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Development of Culture on the Coast of Oman 169
aristocrats of the society, confining themselves to fighting, the pearl
fishing industry and the dhow trade, all three of which were thought
to be the truly honourable occupations. The few Persians who had
originally settled on the Coast (in addition to the many Arabs, Hulah
and Persians, who had migrated more recently), monopolised the
professions of shop-keepers and retail traders. Some of them became
extremely rich from these trades. The Banians, who made their
appearance on the Coast after 1869 as representatives of the British
and Indian firms in Bombay, dealt in textiles and became the bankers
who provided the pearling industry with the necessary advance loans,
since the Muslims, bound by a religious law, could not practise usury.
The flourishing economy of the Omani Coast, based as it was on a
system of advance payments at high interest, had fallen into the
hands of the Banians and some Persian merchants — a state of affairs
which, though concealed for the time being by the general
prosperity, was later, during the 1930s, to prove disastrous.
The earliest signs of the decline of the pearl trade were reported in
July 1929 when sixty pearling boats in Dubai were not able to
proceed to the fishing banks through lack of ready money to
purchase supplies. The report also mentioned that one merchant,
Mujiammad b. Bayat, was declared bankrupt as he was in debt for
Rs. 600,000. while another, Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Dalmuk, was in
debt to Hajjl Muhammad ‘AIT Zainal in Bombay because the sale of
his pearls had been delayed in Paris. He was obliged to obtain a loan
of Rs. 200,000 from an Indian Banian in Bombay, Ganshamdeshk, at
an interest rate of 36 per cent. This difficult year was followed by
another. In July 1930, disturbing news came to Dubai that the
influential ‘Abdullah b. Yusuf had been arrested in Bombay and put
on trial. Arriving earlier at Bombay with his pearls, he had found the
market bad, but had been forced by his Banian creditors to sell and
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as a result, lost Rs. 150,000. He gave his creditors Rs. 80,000 but
they prevented him from leaving the town and obtained, by court
order, another Rs. 31,000. The Ruler of Dubai threatened to seize all
the Banians in his Emirate if ‘Abdullah b. Yusuf were not released.
The Political Resident ordered H.M.S. Lupin to anchor at Dubai to
ensure the safety of the Banians. Finally ‘Abdullah was released and I
the tension died down. ;
During the 1930s many Banians, particularly of Dubai and
Sharjah, sent complaints to the Political Resident, asking him to use
his influence to obtain the repayment of their debts from leading
pearl merchants.
Protection of the Banians* claims and property on the Coast was
one of the main causes of British interference in the internal affairs
of the Emirates between the two World Wars. As there was no Order

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