| Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi | |
|---|---|
 Sheikh Khalid (second from right) at TSC meeting, 1969 | |
| Ruler ofSharjah | |
| Reign | 24 June 1965 – 25 January 1972[1] |
| Predecessor | Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi |
| Successor | Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi |
| Born | 1931 (1931)[1] Sharjah,Trucial States |
| Died | 25 January 1972(1972-00-00) (aged 40–41) Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |
| House | Al Qasimi |
| Father | Mohammed bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi |
SheikhKhalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi (1931 – 25 January 1972) was an Emirati politician, and afounding father of theUnited Arab Emirates who served as the 9th ruler of theEmirate of Sharjah, from 1965 until his murder in an abortive coup mounted by former ruler of Sharjah,Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi in February 1972.[2]
Sheikh Khalid was born in Sharjah in 1931.[3] He acceded asruler of Sharjah following the exile of hisArab nationalist cousin,Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi, who was removed as ruler of Sharjah with the unanimous consent of the ruling family, under pressure from the British.[4] His status as ruler was confirmed byWilliam Luce, the BritishPolitical Resident of the Persian Gulf, on 25 June 1965.[5]
A quiet and unassuming man,[4] Khalid first established aformal police force in Sharjah and was also to play a key role as a participant in the negotiations and agreements which gave rise to the foundation of theUnited Arab Emirates on 2 December 1971, becoming afounding father of the nation.
He was also responsible for the demolition ofSharjah Fort, in an attempt to extirpate the memory of Saqr. The demolition was interrupted by his brother,Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, who saved many of the fixtures and made drawings of the building. Arriving too late to save most of the fort, he nevertheless persuaded his brother to cease the demolition. All that remained was a single tower, Al Qubs - also called the 'Bourj', and one length of wall, as well as a number of the windows and doors from the old fort.[6] Sultan had a precise plan drawn from the remaining foundations and, some twenty years later, Sheikh Sultan had the fort completely - and faithfully - restored.[5]
On 24 January 1972, Saqr returned to Sharjah fromEgypt, where he had been exiled, with a number of mercenaries and seized powerin an attempted coup. The group invaded the Ruler's palace at approximately 2:30 PM, with reports of gunfire and grenade explosions within the palace grounds. Besieged by theUnion Defence Force, 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. However, Sheikh Khalid was killed in the action.[5]
Sheikh Khalid was succeeded as Ruler of Sharjah by his brother,Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi.
He had four children:
Rulers ofSharjah | ||
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