Society 363 / 2013

diplomatie
analyse
HM Hamad bin Isa bin Salman
Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain
of view, the ruling house could accept the currently
estranged opposition groups such as Al
Wefaq, Asalah, or the Islamic Action Party; all
of whom are disliked by the leading members of
Al Khalifa owing to their highly Islamist, Shi‘ist,
rhetoric. Whereas King Hamad II bin Isa Al Khalifa
is no Atatürk, he could pattern “secular” changes
to the constitution in the Lebanese model which
wisely renders homage to the “Most High”, and
thereby respects all religions and creeds, or the
lack thereof. Secularist policies are also likely to
boost Bahrain‘s image as an open, welcoming and
business-friendly destination. It should not be forgotten
that despite the blemish on the country‘s
reputation for the violent suppression of demonstrations
against the ruling regime, Bahrain is
home to thousands of Muslim and non-Muslim expatriates
who are glad to call Bahrain their home;
the kingdom is above all a state of tradespeople.
bahrain
facts in
brief
Country name:
Kingdom of Bahrain
Population: 1.28 mio.
Area: 760 sq km
Climate: arid; mild, pleasant
winters; very hot, humid
summers
Location: Middle East, archipelago
in the Persian Gulf,
east of Saudi Arabia
Capital: Al-Manama
(154000 inhabitants)
Religions: Muslim (Shia and
Sunni) 81.2 %, Christian 9 %,
other 9.8 %
Languages: Arabic (official),
English, Farsi, Urdu
Currency: Bahraini dinar,
1 EUR = 0.49 BHD
BIP: 26.5 bn US-$,
gain 2.8 %
Export goods: petroleum
and petroleum products,
aluminum, textiles
Export partners: Saudi Arabia
3.3 %, UAE 2.2 %, Japan
2 %, Qatar 1.9 %
Import goods: crude oil,
machinery, chemicals
Import partners: Saudi
Arabia 28.2 %, USA 10.5 %,
China 7.6 %, Brazil 6.0 %
Government type: constitutional
monarchy
Chief of state: King Hamad
bin Isa Al-Khalifa (since 6
March 1999)
Head of government: Prime
Minister Khalifa bin Salman
Al-Khalifa (since 1971)
from
history
1507: Bahrain conquered by
the Kingdom of Portugal
1602: Persians banished the
Portuguese
1783: The Sunni Al-Khalifa
family captured Bahrain
from the Persians
1820: The island became a
British protectorate
1861: Perpetual Truce of
Peace and Friendship
1895: Shubar al-Sitri tried to
overthrow Sheikh Isa bin Ali
Al Khalifa
1932: The discovery of oil
1971: Bahrain became an
independent country
1999: Sheikh Isa died and
was succeeded by his eldest
son Sheikh Hamad bin Isa
Al-Khalifa
2001: The country turned
into a constitutional monarchy
with an elected parliament
and an independent
judiciary
since 2011: A series of demonstrations,
amounting to a
sustained campaign of civil
resistance
Source: CIA Factbook, mofa.
gov.bh
•
Getting rid of sectarian divisions
Bahrain‘s recognition as a haven for multiculturalism
and religious tolerance has even been
recently highlighted in the French Senate. On 15
February 2013 Jean Bizet, Deputy Chairman of the
Senate‘s friendship association in charge of the
Kingdom described Bahrain as a “leading model
in religious tolerance and doctrinal freedom”.
Furthermore, a more secular, or rather a state
that focuses constitutionally on rendering homage
to the “Most High” is more likely to with time
rid the island of its sectarian divisions, which otherwise
shall continue to haunt the Al Khalifa until
they might just end up deposed by the disgruntled
Shi‘as, and the indifference of an evenly divided
Sunni élite. Whereas the Al Khalifa and its closest
tribal allies follow the Maliki School of Islamic Jurisprudence,
the members of the commercial élite
tracing their roots to the Arabian side of the Gulf
are predominantly Hanbalis. And there is yet the
so-called Hawala, who are prone to following the
Shafi‘i orientation.
The Shi‘as though a majority in terms of indigenous
population are also divided in different
camps of religious persuasions. Virtually all
are adherents of the Twelver form of Shi‘i Islam
who accept the Usuli school of legal thought, and
which is fairly politically interwoven with Iran.
Nevertheless, a sizeable number of Shi‘a accept
the less rationalistic Akhbari School with survives
only in the island as well as in regions of Southern
Iraq. Moreover, Shia‘s live side by side with
a rather ostracised group of ethnic Persians, perhaps
Bahrain‘s most marginalised minority and
the hence the most receptive for insurrections
calls from Iran. Though the bulk of the Shi‘as‘ allegiances
lie with Bahrain, it is not a fiction that
Iran would be interested in taking over the islands.
Already after the Islamic Revolution in 1979
some prominent mullahs publicly called for the
annexation of Bahrain. As a matter of fact, diplomatic
relations reached a nadir when in 1981 an
Iranian-sponsored plot to encourage an uprising
against Al Khalifa was unravelled.
These divisions and subdivisions belie the simplistic
notion of Bahrain‘s sectarianism, but provide
a portrait of a society split in a plethora of
manners even for the followers of Islam. Yet there
is also the ignored predicament of half of the
kingdom‘s population consisting of Bahrainis and
foreign citizens who do not fit in the “old” puzzle.
They might just succeed into continuing to live together
by blinding religious affiliation in a lawful
secular state.
•
Bahraini identity?
Unlike other Gulf States the Bahraini system of
religious tolerance has grown organically out of Bahrain’s
role as a nexus of global commerce for thousands
of years. This intrinsic trait of Bahraini society
should not be overlooked but encourage to blossom
even further to eventually elicit the importance of
belonging to either the Sunni or Shi‘a branches of
Islam, or to any religious community for matters
of public life in Bahrain. A stronger focus should
be given upon Bahraini identity and values as opposed
to religious affiliations, such movement may
also work well with the process of democratisation
as begun already in 1999 by the country‘s monarch.
It is soon forgotten that at the time even Amnesty
International hailed the reforms put into place so
swiftly by the new ruler. Friends of Bahrain would do
well by encouraging the kingdom‘s evolution from
a constitutional to a parliamentary monarchy with
a responsible government, for Bahrain is already a
young democracy, in fact besides Kuwait the only one
amongst the Gulf States.
Bahrain has been harshly criticised by the international
community for the brutal treatment the
militia and police have given to demonstrators since
protests began two years ago in the country. Several
political opponents to the kingdom’s regime are
incarcerated including the Danish-Bahraini human
rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. The latter’s
daughter Zainab al-Khawaja was also sentenced to
three months in jail as recent as 1 March 2013. •
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