Page 70 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

46
The Origins
of tie United Arab Emirates
SULTAN BIN SAQR
(i803-66)

KHALID
(1866-8) Ahmad SALIM
(1868-83)

SAQR !
(1883-1914) khalid Muhammad
(19*4-24) SULTAN (1921-48)
^ (ruler of Ras al-
Khaimah, recognised
in 1921)

SULTAN Muhammad
(1924-51) SAQR
(Ras al-Khaimah
1948- )

I
SAQR KHALID SULTAN
(*95*-65) (1965-72) (1972- )
Figure 3 Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah, ruling family

Khalid was confronted by a much more direct threat to his authority,
one that caused him considerable anxiety and finally helped to
bring about his downfall: the rise to prominence of ‘Abd al-Rahman
bin Muhammad of the Al-bu-Shamis, headman of Hirah, a fishing
village in Sharjah close to Ajman. The Al-bu-Shamis had originally
been a section of the Na‘im tribe, but by the beginning of the
twentieth century they had acquired a separate identity. In mid
June 1920, ‘Abd al-Rahman bin Muhammad laid claim to the
shaykhdom of Ajman, which was ruled by Humayd bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz
of the Na‘im tribe, and seized the fort of Ajman.35 Humayd did
not have a force strong enough to dislodge ‘Abd al-Rahman, and
appealed to the Residency Agent for help. ‘Isa bin ‘Abd al-Latif
mediated between the two parties and succeeded in persuading
‘Abd al-Rahman to leave Ajman, promising him that his home
and property in Hirah would not be seized. Like most townsmen
in the area ‘Abd al-Rahman made his living from the pearl trade,
but that year his debts to the Indian merchants had reached the
overwhelming figure of 20,000 rupees. In an attempt to obtain
money, he went from Ajman to Duba. and Bahrain, but eventually
returned to Hirah as headman of the village.