Page 31 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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11. In the years immediately following the last war there was much criticism
of the Financial Adviser, Belgrave, in official circles, on account of his conservative
financial policy and alleged dilatoriness and it was at one time suggested to him
that he should retired20) It was proposed to find an assistant for him who would be
qualified to succeed him but the Ruler refused to accept the suggestion that such
an appointment should be made. Since then Belgrave has found better British
experts for Bahrain Government posts and the rate of administrative and material
development has greatly improved. He is very much persona grata with the Ruler
and it is now generally recongnised that he will be very dilficult to replace. The
good work he has done for more than a quarter of a century in Bahrain was
recognised in 1952 by the award to him of the K.B.E. He is now in his sixtieth
year and has as yet given no indication of wishing to retire. He and the other
British State employees serve under contract with the Bahrain Government and it
is the custom, surviving from the days of the Government of India, for the Bahrain
Government to obtain the formal approval of Her Majesty’s Government before
any British employee is finally engaged.
12. There has been no sign of any agitation in Bahrain for a more popular
form of government but anonymous pamphlets have appeared from time to time
demanding Belgrave’s removal and there have been complaints mostly anonymous
regarding the Bahrain Government Hospital and the British Medical Officer in
charge of it, the local Courts, and the lack of accommodation in the schools. Some
younger members of the intelligentsia are believed to be responsible for such
agitation but there does not appear to be any organised party. During recent
years three local journals have appeared. At first a loose censorship was exercised
over them by Belgrave but this ceased on the issue by the Ruler in 1953 of a
Press Ordnance (Appendix B). This has not been enforced against persons subject
to the Order in Council by a Queen’s Regulation. These journals have published
criticisms of the Bahrain Petroleum Company and the British Overseas Airways
Corporation and attacks on the local Jews but have usually been careful not to
offend the Bahrain Government. It may be noted here that during the last war
an Arabic newspaper sponsored by His Majesty’s Government was published in
Bahrain. At the beginning of 1953 a proposal to start a local Arabic newspaper,
in order to counteract the influence of Egyptian and other journals, was considered
by Her Majesty’s Government^') but no decision had been reached by the end of
the year. Up to date there has been no evidence of any Communist activity in
Bahrain. The large Persian element in Manamah have shown no overt sympathy
with the Persian claim to Bahrain nor have the Shiah Baharinah(”) except for one
of their number who as related below (paragraph 84) appeared in the Majlis at
Teheran and demanded Persian intervention. Although these Baharinah claim
to be Arabs and speak Arabic there is a danger of their turning to their
co-religionists in Persia if pressed too hard by the local Sunnis.
13. Serious breaches of law and order have been rare in Bahrain during the
period under review. With the Sunni and Shiah communities more or less evenly
balanced in numbers trouble from time to time arises between them especially
during the Muharram celebrations. The last riot of this nature occurred in
September 1953 when there were a number of casualties, none of them fatal. In
1932 there was serious agitation over an Inheritance Proclamation issued by the
Ruler which he weakly withdrew and in the same year the divers staged a riot to
obtain increased pay. This assumed serious proportions and there were some fatal
casualties. In December 1947 there were anti-Jewish riots as a result of the United
Nations’ decision to partition Palestine. Some Jewish houses and shops were looted
and there were a few casualties.
14. Before this the Jewish families in Bahrain, numbering about fifty, had
been well-treated. Some have since emigrated to Palestine. The Ruler will not
allow any of them to return nor will he permit any more Jews to arrive in Bahrain,
but he does his best to ensure the fair treatment of those that are left, though there
is a certain amount of propaganda against them by less responsible members of the
intelligentsia and the local journals.
(«) PR. to F.O. Despatch 16 of April 17. 1948 (E 4979/74/91 of 1948).
(>«) P.R. to F.O. 1678/2/53 of March 20. 1953 (P 10482/10 of 1953).
(**) The name Baharinah (singular Bahrani) denotes the members of a race of Arabic-speaking
Shiahs found not only in Bahrain but also in some of the other Gulf Shaikhdoms and in parts of
Saudi Arabia. It is necessary to distinguish between Bahrani meaning a member of this race and
Bahraini meaning an inhabitant of Bahrain.
(«) P. 207, Lorimcr, Vol. II.