"تقرير عسكري عن شواطئ الجزيرة العربية المطلة على الخليج الفارسي، البحرين، الأحساء، قطر، عُمان المتصالحة وعُمان" [‎١‎٠‎٣] (٢٢٦/١١٧)

L
CHAP. Ill. POPULATION—QATAR.
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parent stock and now fluctuate between Bain ain and
Qatar. Qatar is also visited by A1 Murrah from Hasa and
in the cold weather by Manasir from Trucial Oman;
'Ajman too are sometimes seen, but not frequently.
The inhabitants of Qatar—whether townspeople, vil
lagers or Bedouin—are Maliki Sunnis in religion. From
this statement we must however except the Sudan and a
few of the Ma'adhid, who are Hanbalis; the Sadah, who
are Hanafis and Shafi'is; the Bahama and Persians, who
are not Sunnis but Shi'ahs, and the Arabs of Najd who are
Wahabis. Negroes generally follow the religion of their
masters.
1. Ethnography.—The total population of Trucial Oman
has been estimated at over 80,000 of whom about 8,000 are
nomadic.
They belong to numerous distinct tribes. The country
is, tribally, one of the most intricate and perplexing in the
Persian Gulf.
As a result of the slave trade in former times, there is
a large negro element.
2. General. —With the exception of a few thousand
nomadic and semi-nomadic Bedouins of the interior, who
raise herds of camels and goats, and engage in a little
cultivation, the bulk of the people live by the sea.
In summer pearl diving employs most of the able-
bodied men. In winter, though some take part in the
ordinary fisheries, the majority are unemployed, being sup
ported by the pearl boat owners during the slack season.
The people are divided between the Hinawi and Ghafiri
political factions.
The population of the principalities of Abu Dhabi and
Dibai lean mostly to the Hinawi faction. The majority
are Sunnis (Malikis).
The people of Sharjah, Ajman, Umm-al-Qaiwain, and
Ras-al-Khaimah belong mostly to the Ghafiri faction, and
a great many are Wahabis, though not of the militant
order.
Trucial Oman