[3][4] During the 18th century, Arabian Peninsula witnessed a revolutionary socio-political and religious transformation under the reformers of the Muwahhidun (Unitarian) movement led by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, often referred as "Wahhabis".

[5][6] By the early 19th century, Emirate of Diriyah had begun appointing Qasimi governors to implement Wahhabi religious doctrines and defend their interests.

[8] The British-allied Omani Empire, also a rival of the Emirate of Dir'iyah, had been the traditional enemy of the Qawasim over issues related to border disputes, religious differences and naval dominance in the Gulf.

The case against the Al Qasimi has been contested by the historian, author and current Ruler of Sharjah, Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi in his book The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf, in which he argues that the charges amount to a 'casus belli' by the East India Company, which sought to limit or eliminate the 'informal' Arab trade with India, and presents a number of internal communications between the Bombay Government and its officials, which shed doubt on many of the key charges made by British historian J.G.

[13] At the time, the Chief Secretary of the Government of Bombay, F. Warden, presented a minute which laid blame for the piracy on the Wahhabi influence on the Al Qasimi and the interference of the East India Company in native affairs.

Grant's response was spirited, pointing out that to have enforced extreme measures would have meant pursuing the chiefs into the interior rather than accepting their voluntary submission.

[16] They had numerous commercial ties with the Somalis, leading vessels from Ras Al Khaimah and the Persian Gulf to regularly attend trade fairs in the large ports of Berbera and Zeila.