Page 274 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

576 Records of Bahrain

- II -

(4) The email Cause Court conducted by a minor
member of tlio A1 Khalifa.
In the flrot oaoo all dlnputoo are referred to
one or othor of these Courts* They uouully deni tlieaoelves
with criminal coneu though a conulderablo number uro re­
ferred to the 'tadhiu for uottloment by Uio taking of oath*
Civil cuoee, ulmunt without oxooptlon, uro referred to the
tyxdhlo, the Uujlle ul Urfl or the hull full Court for opinion*
Judgment usually l'ollowu^hc opinion.
The lndlgonous Courtu are j-

(a) The Court of the ipullilo — Gunni or Shiah an the
cuuo nay be;
(b) The Wajlio nl Urfl;
(oj The Salifah or Diving Court.
The tyidhlo are the uoual Xolamia Court8 liavlng
jurisdiction in all poruonal matters, divorces, Inheritances
• to* They often advloo in criminal matters, but their
peculiar lave of evidence and the oliurp dlfforenoon between

Shiah and hunnl make It lmpouelble to hand orlmlnal Juotloe
oompletoly over to thorn.
The Majlis al Urfl la the Court dealing with the .
customary law of trade* It is the commercial court and all
disputed commercial cases oro referred to it* Thoro are
twenty members* Its meetings are weekly — ton members
i
sitting on alternate Thursdays, under an Al Khullfa preoiden'
It deals with trade dioputeo, on the whole expeditiously and
;
well. Its momboro are all appointed by Ghaikh Jluraad,
oubjeot in tho ease of foreign members, to tho political
Agent’s voto.
The Oulifoh cons is to of three Arab experts voraed
in the customary law relating to diving. Before 1983 thin

Court consisted of one venal old man whose decisions’wore
a disgrace to the State. How, oxoopt for a bias ttgnlnot ,'y.
forolgnsre, it functions satisfactorily*
Vroa this description it will bo seen thut,ex««pt
in