Bahrain

One of the wealthiest of the Arab Gulf states, Bahrain harbors a majority Muslim population, half of whom were not born in country. Its name stemming from the Arabic word for sea, Bahr, Bahrain is an archipelago made of 30 small islands in addition to the largest eponymous island. While [Page 109]estimates vary, approximately 75% of the populace is Shi'a Muslim, making Bahrain one of the few Shi'a-majority countries, while another 15% are reported as practicing Sunnī Islam. The remaining 15%, composed mostly of non-natives, are a mix of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh followers. Religious affiliation is one of the primary markers of identity for Bahrainians, and tensions between the majority Shi'ite and minority Sunnī population persist. Bahrain's government is a traditional monarchy with hereditary transmission of power, and the king is responsible for appointing the prime minister, who is in charge of the government, as well as the shura, the governing council.

Originally inhabited by the Sumerians, Bahrain was for many years an important trading post, located between Sumeri and the Indus Valley. Muslims took control of Bahrain during the Umayyad dynasty in the 7th century and retained authority until the Portuguese colonized the country in the 16th century. Their rule lasted less than a century, and in 1602, Iran gained control of the archipelago, instituting Shi'ite Islam as the official religion. The Bahrainian ruler Ahmad Ibn al-Khalifah took power from the Iranians in the late 18th century, and Bahrainian rule continued through the beginning of the 21st century. Great Britain began imposing on Bahrain in the 1830s, when it offered protection to Bahrain from the Turks, who were threatening Bahrain for gaining access to the Persian Gulf; Great Britain later used its position to influence the governing of the country in the years to come. Oil was discovered and began to be extracted in the 1930s, and following World War II, anti-British sentiment was on the rise, culminating in riots against British rule as well as the Jewish population, who had gained standing in the burgeoning oil industry. The British were ousted from Bahrain in 1971, at which point Bahrain joined the United Nations (UN) and assisted the UN in monitoring Iraq in the late 20th century—a country with which Bahrain had unstable relations. Owing a great deal to the oil reserves in Bahrain and the opportunities provided thereby, Bahrain's foreign population rose exponentially in the last part of the 20th century into the 21st century.

While Shi'a Islam is the official religion of Bahrain, the tensions with the minority Sunnī population are based on the perceived favored status of the latter. There are reports that naturalization and citizenship proceedings favor Sunnī applicants; Shi'i are more represented in the lower economic classes. The legal system was formed from a blend of the Ja'afari and Mālik? systems, which come from the Shi'a and Sunnī Muslim heritage, respectively. The monarchy does not allow for political parties, and the majority of political opposition stems from Shi'a and Islamic fundamentalist groups; in 1996, 44 Islamists were arrested on suspicion of plotting a coup to overthrow the Bahrainian government and establish an Islamic democracy. They were released in 2001, along with all other prisoners of a political nature, under the more liberal regime of Sheikh Hamad Isa al-Khalifa. His liberal attitude was tested by a massive uprising that began on February 14, 2011, as a part of the wave of democratic movements in the Middle East known as the “Arab Spring.” Although the government at times was conciliatory and promised a dialogue with the protest leaders, it ultimately crushed the protests with military support from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and leaders of the uprising were sentenced to life imprisonment.

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