In 1986, Sheikh Sultan authored a book, "The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf" (In Arabic: أسطورة القرصنة العربية في الخليج), in which he argues that the East India Company was determined to increase its share of Persian Gulf trade by all possible means and principally by the accusation of piracy and the need to fight it. In his book, Al-Qāssimī places emphasis on the machinations of Captain, rising to Brigadier General, John Malcolm envoy of the then Governor General of India 2nd Earl of Mornington and Captain David Seton the British Resident in Muscat and at one point discusses Malcolm’s proposal for a base in the Gulf first raised in 1800 and then again in 1808. Al-Qāssimī states that Malcolm based his argument to his superiors not only on the necessity of a base for trade purposes but also as a defensive measure to protect India against European, that is French plans.
Read more about this topic: Sultan Bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi
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