'File 8/67 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: MUSCAT – OMAN TREATY.' [‎59r] (122/316)

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Owing to the greed of his brother, and praying turn to return the gardens and
^ome to terms. The Imam dominated by his brother proved obdurate and dis*
content grew.
a a Sheikh Isa, whose last letter I had torn up and refused to answer,
a dressed me himself on 2 .)th June. I seized the opportunity to write a strong
r( ;Pty emphasising that the British Government was entirely behind
the Sultan in this matter, and that f 'would neither meet him nor discuss any-
rung w r ith mm till the looted gardens had been first returned. I took the
precaution of allowing the contents of this letter to leak out before it was sent.
There is little doubt that this letter dispelled any remaining doubts that
the Omanis may have had.
the Imam Sheikh Salim bin Rashid-al-Kharusi was murdered
at Khadra. The immediate cause of his murder was stated to have been
jui insult to one of his guard. Hie real re ason of his death, which
was confirmed from many sources, was that the tribes were practically
in open revolt against his mle and that of his brother, which was a combi nation
of utter religious bigotry combined with shameless selfishness and oppression
and a.complete disregard of politics or government, all of which in addition to
theii inherent disadvantages were resulting in all sorts of trying restrictions
from th<- Sultan s Government, which they were powerless to resist, culminating
in the penal zakat.
Oman was now without a leader and the greatest confusion prevailed. The
"W abs of the late Imam weie driven out immediately bv the infuriated tribes -
men and had to flee for their lives. Many tribes sent tentative offers of alle
giance to the Sultan’s Government. Sheikh Isa began to collect men in
Sharkiyah, ami on tne othei side the Sub an s Government made a determined
effort to regain their hold over Oman. '
The situation was now extremely interesting, and provided the British
Government could preserve an attitude of st- iet neutrality, one of two results
both equally favourable to a satisfactory settlement would be hound to occur.
Either the Sultan’s Government w'ould regain their hold over the interior this
•would settle affairs for the moment, though it would inevitably lead the Sultan
into difficulties later—or the Oman tribes would retain their cohesion against the
Sultan in which latter case their leader could only hope to consolidate his posi
tion satisfactorily by coming to an agreement removing immediately the penal
zakat.
It was peculiarly fortunate that at this crh ical moment the British adviser
to the Sultan was on leave in India. It was therefore possible for the Sultan’s
Government in entirely Arab hands to act without suspicion being raised that
we were behind them. I kept conspicuously aloof, well knowfng that the
Omanis, if they did not come into the Sultan, would approach me to mediate.
Seraail was the objective of both parties, but Sheikh Isa who had meantime
secured the election of bis father-in-law Mohomed bin Abdullah-al-Klmlili, chief
of the powerful .Beni Ruwaha tribe as the new Imam, succeeded in reaching
Semail 24 hours before the Sultan’s men, and the tribes naturally followed him!
He immediately addressed himself to me through Sheikh Said bin Nasir-al-
Kiudi asking for an agreement. I replied that till the gardens w^ere returned I
would not meet Mm, but that when that had been done I would mediate. To
show more strongly my complete indifference I stated that I was going to India
for a month, and with the permission of Government went
Even then Isa’s path was by no means smooth. The new Imam being a
Hinawi and the father in law of Isa raised the suspicions of the Chafin'*.
Ahmed bin Ibrahim on behalf of the Saltan took Ttustnq and would have held
It but for the sudden desertion of the Beni Ghafir tribe to the new Imam.
Immediately the Rusfaq situation had resolved itself in Isa’s favour he
acted with great policy, as indeed he uas compelled to by the insecuiity of his
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