1972 Sharjawi coup
Part ofDecolonization
Emirate of Sharjah in theUnited Arab Emirates
Date January 24, 1972 - January 25, 1972 Location Emirate of Sharjah 25°21′27″N55°23′27″E / 25.3575°N 55.390833°E /25.3575; 55.390833 Result Coup failed SheikhKhalid Al Qasimi killed Saqr Al Qasimi ousted by UAE and returned to exile in Egypt Sultan Al Qasimi named Sheikh
Belligerents
United Arab Emirates Sharjah Supported by: United Kingdom	Sharjawi dissidents
Commanders and leaders
Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi † Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum	Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi
Units involved
Khalid loyalists Union Defence Force	Saqr loyalists Egyptian Mercenaries
Strength
~2,400 UDF	25
Casualties and losses
Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi his son Ahmad 1 bodyguard 1 British officer (wounded) Several scouts wounded

In 1972, shortly after the formation of theUnited Arab Emirates, the former sheikh ofSharjah,Saqr Al Qasimi, attempted to regain control over the emirate from his cousinKhalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. Although Saqr was able to secure the emirate's palace, and kill Khalid, an intervention by the UAE'sUnion Defence Force besieged Saqr and eventually forced his surrender.

Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi was the ruler of Sharjah from 1951 to 1965, having succeeded his father,Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II. He was deposed shortly after opening an office of theArab League in Sharjah, and welcoming one of their delegations.^[1][2][3] TheBritish viewed Saqr and his support forArab nationalism as a threat to their interests in theTrucial States leading to British officials, supported by the Al Qasimi family and led by SirTerence Clark, to coordinate acoup in 1965 to crown Saqr's cousinKhalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi.^[3][4] Saqr would go into exile inBahrain and eventuallyCairo.^[5] Sharjah would be the last Emirate to see a British presence following independence, with the BritishRoyal Air Forcebase at Sharjah being the last physical presence of the British colonial government.^[6]

At the time of the coup, Khalid had become increasingly unpopular, especially among Sharjah's Arab nationalists, due to his handling, or lack thereof, ofIran'sseizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.^[7][8] TheGreater and Lesser Tunbs had been ruled by the Qasemi since before they migrated from the Persian coast to the present-day UAE in the 1720s.^[7] Saqr's motivation to act and attempt to seize power has been attributed, at least in part, to disaffection over Sheikh Khalid's agreement to a Memorandum of Understanding, signed on November 30, 1971, allowing Iran to station troops on the island ofAbu Musa.^[8]

On 2 December 1971, theTrucial States declared independence and became theUnited Arab Emirates. Shortly after in January 1971, Saqr smuggled himself into Sharjah with a group of Egyptian mercenaries, seeking to restore his throne.^[8][6] Saqr would be supported by local Arab nationalists such as Sultan Al Owais, however, due to the British withdrawal some months earlier, he failed to rally the population to his anti-Colonial cause.^[8]

At approximately 2:30 PM Saqr and his forces took control of the Sheikh's palace with reports of gunfire and grenade explosions.^[9] During the fighting Khalid would be killed, either being captured and executed, or as a combatant alongside one of his bodyguards.^[6] However, within an hour of taking the palace, Saqr would be besieged by the Union Defence Force who were based out of the former RAF Sharjah who were quickly joined by a force from Dubai.^[8][6] Early in the morning of January 25 Saqr surrendered himself and his forces to UAE Minister of Defence and UDF commander, 22-year-oldMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.^[9]

Saqr would be tried and imprisoned until 1979, after which he returned to exile in Egypt where he spent the rest of his life.^[8] Khalid's younger brotherSultan would be named the new sheikh of Sharjah, passing over the older Abdelaziz which would lead to Abdelaziz to attempt to stage his own coup in1987 which was also unsuccessful due to Emirati intervention.^[10]

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum wrote in his autobiography that during the coup, the leading concern among Emirati leadership was that it would spiral into a regional conflict that would "involve foreign factions, supporters and followers" mostly due to Saqr's support for the ideals ofGamal Abdel Nasser.^[6]

This articleneeds additional or more specificcategories. Pleasehelp out byadding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles.(December 2024)

• 1972 in the United Arab Emirates
• Military coups in the United Arab Emirates
• 1970s coups d'état
• January 1972 in Asia
• Conflicts in 1972
• Islamic monarchies

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