Page 84 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

70 Records of Bahrain

Despatch No, 5* II.U, POLITICAL AQENOY,
(10112/3/540)
CONFIDENTIAL BAHRAIN.
Ootobor 25, 1954.

Blr,
With reforonoo to my Minute of July 29 on the fooling
In Bahrain In favour of tfeproaontational Government, I
have tho honour to offer the following observations on the
rooent manifestations of that feeling*
2, At the time of tho disturbances in July and the
presentation of the National Demands, on July 3, it was
being claimed that both Sunni and Shiah communities were
united in their grievance® against tho arbitrary rule of
Shaikh Salmun and hlo family, The union, at that time,
existed chiefly in the wishes of a fow Sunni journalists.
The National Demands of July 3 wore drafted and presented
by tho Shiah loaders, Nevertheless, tho editors and
contributor a of flout ul Bahrain and Aj Qafllah. who are
mostly Sunni, supported theBO demands, and it would appear
that in the three months that have olapeod, they have boon
more ouooeBSful than wuo expected in rallying the two
ooninunities to adopt a oomaon political programme.

3. The Shiah conwunity, after the Government's
proclamation of July 15, appeared to bo willing to believe
that some substantial reforms were about to be instituted
and eati8faotion given for the injuries they held
themselves to have suffered, i,o. for thoir Iobbob in the
riot of July 1, for the penalties imposed aftor the Gltra
riot, and for the damages suffered in the attack on Arad
at Muharram last year. These matters are probably as
important in the eyes of most of the Shiah as the demand
for a legislative oounoil, whioh figured first in the
National Demands of July 3.
4. It v/ao on the questions of compensation and
redress that the Mullah Sayid All bin Sayid Ibrahim laid
moot emphasis in the 'reminder' that he addressed to the
Ruler on September 25. The Sunni opposition, on the
other hand, having no communal or roiigious difforonoe
with tho A1 Khalifah, trout the constitutional issue as tho
more Important. They are, of course, able to make common
cause with the Shi'is by arguing that representational
government in Bahrain is the best safeguard of the righto
and liberties of tho Duharlnnh community. Such elders of
the Bahurinah as Mansur al Oralyidh and Hasson al Mudhnlfi
do not openly disagree with this theory, but they,
together with the majority of the uneducated flhl’i villagers

/probably
Ilia Excellency,
the Political Resident in tho Persian Gulf,
Bahrain,

J