World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

Environment

Bahrain is an archipelago, consisting of Bahrain Island and some thirty smaller islands, totalling some 668 kilometres squared.

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 81% of the total population is Muslim; of the total population there is also a notable population of Christians 9%, other religions accounting for 10% (Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and others) of the total population. (2001 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.

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. It gained its independence in 1971. Its economy gradually diversified from heavy oil dependence to a more developed financial sector in the 1980s. Its more liberal social climate allowed it to attract thousands of visitors from Saudi Arabia and the region, yet it has experienced increasing competition since the 1990s from the UAE in this regard.

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, 4 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.

Current state of minorities and indigenous peoples

The present King, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who has ruled since 1999, has made an improvement of relations with the Shii population part of his promised package of reforms. This follows decades of high tension, dating back to a failed coup by Bahraini Shiis in 1981, subsequent to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. The poor relations peaked in the 1990s with protests, riots and resulting imprisonments, torture and killing. In contrast, a riot by 150 Shii youth in March 2004 resulted in just 16 being arrested and taken for questioning, and all were pardoned by the King.

Despite improvements over the past decade, Shii disadvantage and discrimination continues. The US State Department even reported in 2004 that electoral districts in Bahrain were drawn in order to maximize the chances of Sunni candidates being elected. Nevertheless, it should be noted that Shiis have access to a Jaafari Shia court, funded by the state and have their own mosques.