Mubarak Al-Sabah - Death of Muhammad and Jarrah Al-Sabah

Death of Muhammad and Jarrah Al-Sabah

On May 8, 1896 Mubarak’s half-brothers, Muhammad and Jarrah, were killed by him enabling Mubarak’s assumption of the Kuwaiti throne. Most scholars believe that Mubarak assassinated his half-brothers, but the details of the assassination vary widely. Jill Crystal posits that Mubarak, with his sons Jabir and Salim and loyal supporters assassinated, his half-brothers in secret during the night. Frederick Anscombe also states that Mubarak “and his men” (not specified whether his sons were in on the plot) killed his brothers in the early hours of the day. There are several possible theories as to why Mubarak may have assassinated his half-brothers. One theory is that Mubarak resented being constantly sent away on tribal expeditions out into the desert. A second related theory is that Muhammad did not adequately fund Mubarak’s expeditions. The third theory is that Muhammad was a weak and “indolent” leader whose unpopularity in Kuwait necessitated his removal. The most plausible theory is that Mubarak felt he did not receive his rightful share of the family wealth and property, causing contention and a strong desire to seize it. Mubarak simply wanted power.

However, B.J. Slot, who is not even convinced that Mubarak was the assassin, asserts that “the widely divergent stories and interpretations… make it impossible to reach a firm conclusion about what happened in Kuwait in 1896.” Slot notes that on a local level there was a lack of support for people who claimed that Mubarak assassinated his half-brothers and that if he had indeed done it revenge would have been taken on him. Yet news of Mubarak’s supposed assassination plot spread throughout the Ottoman Empire and abroad, which proved a serious obstacle in establishing his legitimacy as a ruler.