World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Bahrain
| Publisher | Minority Rights Group International |
| Publication Date | February 2012 |
| Cite as | Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Bahrain, February 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4954ce30c.html [accessed 25 September 2016] |
| Comments | In October 2015, MRG revised its World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. For the most part, overview texts were not themselves updated, but the previous 'Current state of minorities and indigenous peoples' rubric was replaced throughout with links to the relevant minority-specific reports, and a 'Resources' section was added. Refworld entries have been updated accordingly. |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated: February 2012
Environment
Bahrain is an archipelago, consisting of Bahrain Island and some thirty smaller islands, totalling some 668 kilometres squared.
History
Bahrain has been inhabited for thousands of years and its strategic position has meant it has attracted the attention of various civilisations for centuries. It was controlled by the Portuguese and Persians between the 1500s and 1700s and became a British protectorate in the 1800s. Since the late 18th-century, Bahrain has been ruled by the Al-Khalifa dynasty, who has traditionally been Sunni. In 1820, Great Britain signed an informal treaty with the Al-Khalifa dynasty, granting the Al-Khalifa the official title of Rulers of Bahrain. During the late 19th-century, trading families from the Gulf, India and elsewhere began immigrating to Bahrain. Bahrain gained its independence from the UK in 1971, although the Al-Khalifa retained political power. Its economy gradually diversified from heavy oil dependence to a more developed financial sector in the 1980s.
Peoples
Main languages: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, English
Main religions: Sunni and Ithna'ashari Shii Islam, Christianity
Total population of around 700,000, a third of whom are non-nationals from Iran, India, the Philippines and other Asian states. The population of non-nationals rises to over 40% amongst the working age population.
Main minority groups: Bahraini Muslim nationals: Sunnis 140,000 (25%), Ithna'asharis 420,000 (75%). Roughly 70% of the total population is Muslim; the other 30% of the population is made up of Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and others (2010 Census).
Christians and other religious communities such as Hindus are part of the migrant worker population. These populations do not form coherent and cohesive minority communities on the basis of religion.
Governance
Bahrain is ruled as a traditional monarchy, and nominally a constitutional monarchy within which the monarch is the head of the executive, legislature and judiciary. The Sunni Al Khalifas have ruled Bahrain since the late 1700s, despite the repeated challenge from Iran and the Shia-dominant population. The King appoints the Prime Minister, who is also a member of the Al Khalifa family, and the cabinet, which is again dominated by the Al Khalifas.
A national assembly was in operation from 1973 to 1975 but subsequently suspended until 2002. The 1973 Constitution was also suspended in 1975 until a new Constitution was adopted in 2002. This new Constitution allowed for elections for the Council of Representatives (40 members, four-year terms) and appointments to the Shura Council (40 members). The 2002 elections came after decades of petitions, protests and opposition calling for the reestablishment of parliamentary and constitutional rule, which gathered momentum in the 1990s. This had resulted in arrests, shootings, torture and exile of opponents. The elections and a new constitution - which also turned Bahrain into a Kingdom - followed the accession of Sheikh Hamad on the demise of his father, Shaikh Isa. The main, largely Shia-based, opposition movement, al-Wifaq, boycotted the 2002 elections over the late change from the promised unicameral to a bicameral system where the appointed upper chamber has at least equal powers with the elected lower chamber. Yet they participated in the 2006 elections and, together with other opposition strands, gained a majority.
Minorities
None listed.
Resources
Minority based and advocacy organisations
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (registered with the Bahraini Ministry of Labor and Social Services in July 2002, ordered to close in November 2004 but still functioning)
Email: info@bahrainrights.org
Website: http://www.bahrainrights.org
Bahrain Freedom Movement (UK)
[Represents both Shiis and Sunnis]
Email: info@vob.org
Website: http://www.vob.org
Sources and further reading
'Bahrain', in The Middle East and North Africa 2007 [Europe regional Surveys of the World]. London: Routledge, 2006 (pp. 235-262).
Cordesman, A. H., Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE: Challenges of Security, Boulder: Westview Press, 1997.
Fuller, G.E. and Francke, R.R., The Arab Shi'a: The Forgotten Muslims, New York: St Martin's Press, 1999 and Palgrave, 2001
Human Rights Watch, Routine Abuse, Routine Denial, Civil Rights and the Political Crisis in Bahrain, New York: Human Rights Watch Middle East, 1997.
International Crisis Group, 'Bahrain's Sectarian Challenge', Middle East Report 40, 6 May 2005, retrieved 20 July 2007, http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3404&l=1
Lawson, F. H., Bahrain: The Modernization of Autocracy, Boulder: Westview Press, 1989.
Nasr, V., The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future, New York: W. W. Norton, 2006
Nonneman, G., Political Reform in the Gulf Monarchies: From Liberalisation to Democratisation? A Comparative Perspective. Durham: IMEIS, Durham University, 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2007, http://eprints.dur.ac.uk/archive/00000222/
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Arab Human Rights Index, retrieved 20 July 2007, http://www.arabhumanrights.org/en/countries/
