Saqr III bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1924 – November 9, 1993) was the ruler of the
Emirate of Sharjah
The Emirate of Sharjah (; ar, إِمَارَة ٱلشَّارِقَة ') is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, which covers and has a population of over 1,400,000 (2015). It comprises the capital city of Sharjah, after which it ...
, a
Trucial State and now one of the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...
, from May 1951 to 24 June 1965.
Saqr was the eldest son of
Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II, who ruled 1924–51. After Sultan's death, Saqr became the ruler. Saqr was an
Arab nationalist
Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language an ...
, which undermined the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading post ...
's control of the
Trucial States
The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...
. In 1964, he supported the opening of an
Arab League office in
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital ...
, after a visit by an Arab League delegation led by
Abdul Khalek Hassouna
Mohamed Abdulkhalek El Sayed ( ar, محمد عبد الخالق السيد) (28 October 1898 – 20 January 1992) was an Egyptian diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the Arab League
Life and career
Born in Cairo in 1898, Ab ...
, the Secretary-General at the time. The British viewed this move as a threat, which lead the British administration to intervene and initiate the ouster of Saqr as the ruler Sharjah. In 1965,
Glencairn Paul
(Hugh) Glencairn Balfour Paul (23 September 1917 – 2 July 2008) was a British Arabist and diplomat. He served as the British Ambassador to Iraq, Jordan and Tunisia before becoming an academic at Exeter University.
Biography
The son of John Wi ...
, the British Political Agent in Dubai, was tasked to inform Saqr of his deposition. Saqr was then exiled to Bahrain and eventually Cairo. His cousin,
Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi
Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi (1931—1972) was ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates from 1965 to 1972.
Biography
Sheikh Khalid acceded as Ruler of Sharjah following the exile of his cousin, Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasi ...
succeeded him.
On 24 January 1972, following soon after the creation of the United Arab Emirates on 2 December 1971, Saqr returned to Sharjah from Egypt with a number of mercenaries and seized power in an attempted coup. The group infested the Ruler's palace at approximately 2.30pm, with reports of gunfire and grenade explosions within the palace. Besieged by the
Union Defence Force The Union Defence Force may refer to a former or current military organization:
* Union Defence Force (South Africa), the predecessor of the South African Defence Force from 1912 to 1957
* Union Defence Force (UAE)
The United Arab Emirates Armed ...
, which arrived an hour later, Saqr finally gave himself up in the early hours of 25 January to UAE Minister of Defence,
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the ruler of Dubai ...
. However, Khalid was killed in the action
and Saqr's brother Ahmed was offered the position of
UAE justice minister.
References
{{Rulers of Sharjah
Sheikhs of the Emirate of Sharjah
House of Al Qasimi
1924 births
1993 deaths
20th-century Arabs