Jassim the Leader: Founder of Qatar
Page 20
While Jassim respected his father greatly, he did not blindly follow his policy and was bold enough to take steps no other leader in the Gulf would consider. Expelling every single Banyan from Bida, for example, was something no other leader would dare contemplate, let alone emulate. His refusal to submit to British coercion, as illustrated by the burning of the nation’s pearling fleet in the 1890s, showed that he was prepared to sacrifice everything rather than submit to foreign authority. His defeat of the Ottoman army at Wajba, in the same decade, clearly demonstrated that there were basic principles of freedom over which he would never compromise.
This independence of spirit manifested itself early on in his life. He always chose to wear a different style of dress to that of his father from a young age, adopting the Bedouin clothes of the Najd. His father had attempted to have Qatar become part of the Trucial coast under British protection. But Jassim had the vision to convince his kinsmen and confederates that it was better to benefit from Ottoman protection, even as the Sublime Porte was falling into terminal decline. Others saw only limits to his policy; but Jassim ultimately founded the only independent emirate in the Gulf.
Perhaps what is most clear is that Jassim knew his own mind. He had firm principles, expounded them clearly and acted upon them decisively. Some historians have called this stubbornness, but I think anyone who has achieved anything worthwhile has to be stubborn. Despite his admiration for the Wahhabi ideals expounded in the various Saudi states, Jassim was knowledgeable on Hanbali jurisprudence and gave the khutba, the Friday sermon, at the main mosque in Bida. His generosity was even recorded by his many British visitors. When empires threw problems at him, he was not baffled, or disoriented, or overwhelmed. He knew almost instinctively what to do simply because he had a wealth of experience. He had not become the Sheikh of Qatar until the age of 53.
In the three years following his death, Abdullah bin Jassim (ruled 1913–49) took up his father’s mantle. He had been reluctant to accept the position, perhaps even a little intimidated, and was more inclined to remain a successful pearl merchant. But Jassim chose him from his twelve sons, all of whom deferred to their father’s wishes. Amazingly, Jassim had one trick left to play. Four days after his demise, the ruler of Bahrain, Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa (ruled 1869–1932), tried to revive his claim to levy taxes on Qatar according to the treaty of 1868. Isa was shocked to find that Jassim had prepared for such a contingency, and the British informed Isa that, according to a treaty agreed between Jassim, the Sublime Porte and Britain: ‘Le Gouvernement de sa Majesté Britannique declare qu’il ne permettra pas au cheikh de Bahreine de s’immiser dans les affaires intérieures d’El Katr.’
The story of Qatar has continued in dramatic fashion. Following the crash of the pearl market, the Great Depression and the discovery of the second-largest natural gas reserves in the world, the nation is no longer unknown or obscure. It owes its foundation to Jassim, who was as good as his word.
I lifted injustice for no personal gain
but to see the weaker freed again.
LINE OF DESCENT OF RULERS OF QATAR
GLOSSARY
‘aqal – the band that keeps the headdress, or gutra, on
archa – a dance performed by men, originally a war dance
baghla – a Gulf-built transport ship
barkhan – full-size, crescent-shaped dune
barr – stony desert
bateel – a medium-sized Gulf-built vessel, sometimes used for military purposes
birag – hills forming a scarp, capped with limestone
boom – the largest of the Gulf-built seagoing vessels
buhur – literally meaning seas, it is also used to describe poetic metres
dahl – a subterranean cavern containing water
dhahr al-khait – the windward side of a dune
dira – all the land that comes under the authority of a particular tribe
diwan – a book containing a poet’s collected works
doha – a bay
fijeeri – songs, or shanties, sung by pearlers
gehaab – wind-eroded hills in the east
ghaws al-barid – the first part of the pearling season
ghaws al-kabir – the main part of the pearling season from May to September
ghuri – a fort
gutra – the cloth of the headdress
hairaat – underwater sea mounds that were being developed as pearl banks
haluwsah – a children’s game
hashu – a surface of fine stones
hawdaj – the elaborate saddle mounted on to camels for women’s use
hdiba – a small low mound
hubara – the bustard, a favourite quarry for hunters
‘irg or sahib – a small, narrow dune
jiri – poor pasturage area, but with water
jurn – horn-shaped hill
Kapucibasis – Ottoman honorific title, originally a palace gatekeeper
kaza – Ottoman district in eastern Arabia, including Qatar, Qatif, Hasa and Najd
khor – an inlet
khubz – bread
khutba – the Friday sermon at the midday prayer
majlis – a public council where individuals could raise grievances
mishaash – a temporary rock pool
mudir – a local Ottoman administrator
mujannah – wading on pearl banks in a tax-free end-of-season bid to get rich
musaqqam – a pearling industry financier
mutasarrifiyya – an Ottoman governorate
nagd – non-specific, general word for a dune
nahham – a singer who leads the shanty
naib – a deputy
naiim – low-lying grass suitable for grazing
najwaat – a pearl bank, usually around eight fathoms deep
nakhoda – a ship’s captain
nakhsh – a prominent spur
nigyan – the mini-dunes close to the shore that form a ‘sea’ of sand
niiga – a reddish dust that can settle after storms
qahwa della – a coffee pot with a curved spout
qasida – a form of poetry
Qayamaqam – an Ottoman title, meaning the head of a district
ramla – a small deposit of sand, in some parts of Qatar called a bratha
ras – a coastal cape
rawda – semi-permanent grazing area
razeef – a gathering of extended family, or tribal get-together
rigga – the smooth plains of the central plateau
rudaida – an end-of-season pearl hunt in a poor season
sabban – concentrated shell deposits, sometimes found inland
sayyal – the leeward, steep side of the dune
sbakha – low-lying salt pans
shi’b – stream course with a little vegetation
shimal – dust-bearing north-westerly wind
tawwash – a pearl merchant
tiwaar – flat-topped mesa
‘ugla – a well in the southern desert
wa’ab – a geological depression, sometimes collecting water
wadi – a shallow valley
zakah – a religious tithe that was often imposed as a local tax
zubar – a medium-sized dune
zuli – the ‘heads’ on a Gulf-built ship
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INDEX
9/11 attacks (2001) 116
Abbas, Shah 8
Abbasid Empire 4, 5, 6, 56
Abd ul-Aziz bin Saud 168
Abd ul-Hadi bin Mirait 152
Abd ul-Hamid II, Sultan 124, 137–40, 177
Abd ul-Rahman bin Faisal 128, 184
Abd ul-Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani (Jassim’s son) 127–28, 154, 156, 157, 169, 173, 175, 183
Abdullah Al Khalifa, Sheikh
bin Turaif decides to support 66
co-rules Bahrain with Sheikh Khalifa 50
continued resistance 65
deal with Sheikh Khalifa 56
descendants of 76
expels Ali bin Nasir 53
flees to Nabend 69
forced to retreat 55
lands troops on Qatar’s eastern coast 55
and migrants on Qais 57
orders raid on Huwaila 52
plans to control northeastern Qatar 54
and Ragragi 59
tries to build alliance with Saudi state 63–64
Abdullah Al Shaikh, Sheikh 82
Abdullah bin Ahmad 67, 110
Abdullah bin Ali 176
Abdullah bin Faisal (son of Faisal bin Turki) 82, 83, 86, 91, 95, 100, 102, 105, 106
Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani (Jassim’s son) 127–28, 169, 170, 182, 185
court of xi
and Naim rebellions 89
and slavery 33
Abdullah bin Muhammad 105
Abdullah bin Sabah, Sheikh 102, 103
Abu Bakr 17
Abu Dhabi 151, 157, 167
1835 agreement 13
attacks on Wakra, Bida and Doha (1867) 90
bin Turaif in exile 53
claim on Khor al-Udaid 114, 133, 178
and the Qasimi leadership 11
wants to prevent Faisal from entering Doha 73
Abu Dhabi, Sheikh of 158
Abu Dhaluf 176
Admiralty (British) 23
Afghanistan : a ‘high priority’ region 116
Afonso de Albuquerque 7
Agadir crisis (Panthersprung) 180
Ahmad, Hajji 84
Ahmad, son of Sheikh Abdullah 52
Ahmad bin Ali 107–8
Ahmad bin Khatan 174, 175
Ahmad bin Muhammad Al
Khalifa, Sheikh 86
Ahmad bin Muhammad Bin
Thani, Sheikh (Jassim’s brother)
accused of murder 160
attitude to Ottoman deployment 158–59
character 151
imprisoned on the Merrikh 135
and the Indian community in Bida 123
and Jassim’s day-to-day work 140
lack of an official position 151, 156
leads a raiding party 159
meeting with Prideaux 162–63
murdered 163, 166
relationship with Jassim 151
and talks with Talbot 139
and the Trucial system 151, 152, 153
Ahmad bin Said Al bu Said 9
Ahmad bin Salama 170
Ajman 151
Ajman tribe 48, 103, 114, 158, 159, 170
1835 agreement 13
and the Qasimi leadership 11
theft of camels 112
Akif Pasha, Mutsarrif of Najd 123, 125–26
Al bin Ali tribe 48, 52, 55, 56, 63, 65–69, 71, 95, 140–43, 145, 146, 152
Al bu Aynain fort, Qatar 51
Al bu Aynain tribe 48, 56, 59, 63, 94, 157, 173, 174, 176
Al bu Ghaz tribe 118, 120
Al bu Kuwara tribe 22, 48, 49, 53, 55, 59, 64–65, 71, 94, 112, 114, 183
Al bu Sumayt tribe 19
Al Khalifa, Muhammad bin Khalifa 47, 63
Al Khalifa tribe
Abdullah bin Faisal’s threat 91
and Bahrain’s new status in the Trucial system 78
conquers Bahrain 18
dissident factions in Qatar 50
Effendi’s history lesson 143–44
fierce resistance to 19
Jassim plans to push back their claims for good 109
and the Naim 110, 111, 147
and Rahma bin Jabir 22
Al Khalifa tribe xvii
Al Khor 68
Al Murra tribe xv, 27, 48, 103, 119, 158, 159
Al Musallam tribe 18, 19, 48, 71
Al Saud tribe 47, 155, 158
Al Sudan tribe 40–41
Al Thani tribe
and the Al Musallam’s loss of control 19
in Battle of Wajba 134
a clan of the Ma’adid 17
and depreciation of pearls 173
first recognition of their authority over Fuwairit 59
first settlement in Qatar (1740s) 18
from pastoralism to pearling 19–20
gains valuable political experience 78
long-term problems with the Naim 89
migrations of 18
moves to Doha 70
and pearl market collapse 32
the razeef (tribal get-together) 21
rise to power 62–69
Alcibiades 109
Alexander the Great 3
Alexandria, French occupation of 97, 98
Algeria 99
Ali bin Abd ul-Aziz 103
Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani, Sheikh (Jassim’s grandson) 89
Ali bin Jassim Al Thani (Jassim’s son) 117, 127, 169
Ali bin Khalifa, Sheikh 67, 68, 69, 72–76, 86, 90, 92, 94, 110
Ali bin Nasir, Sheikh 51, 53, 56, 57, 65
Ali bin Rashid 120
Ali bin Thamir 86
Ali ibn Muhammad 5
Ali Pasha, Grand Vizier 102
Amamara tribe 51, 94, 146, 152, 183
Amherst (East Indiaman) 53
Amin, Al-Sayyid Muhammad 118–19
Anaiza, Qatar 54
Anatolian Railway Company 179
Androsthenes of Thasos 3
Anglo-Abu Dhabi Maritime Agreement (1853) 133
Anglo-Ottoman Convention (June 1913) 181