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Shi’ite. An argument between the two developed resulting in the accidental death of
the elderly Sunni when he was knocked to the ground. 185
A more serious disturbance occurred at BAPCO’s drum plant in Sitra, an
island dominated by its Shi’ite population, as tensions generated in the local press,
regional developments, and sectarian anxieties spread to the company’s employees.
A dispute between Sunnis and Shi’ites over bicycles on 15 June turned ugly.
According to the memoir of Abdul-Karim Al-Alaiwat, the fight that took place
between the two parties developed as a result of a practical joke played by two
Shi’ite employees who deflated the tyres of bicycles owned by two Sunnis. As soon
as the fight occurred, and news of it spread, relatives of the Sunnis involved rushed
to the scene to aid their family member. Shi’ites from a neighbouring village also
arrived to take part in the fight, headed by a man identified as Hassan Marzook. 186
Following the disorder in BAPCO, Al-Bakir claimed that he was asked to leave
Bahrain once again for a period of three months on 28 June and this time went to
Egypt. 187 Eleven Bahrainis were swiftly put on trial on 30 June due to the recent
disturbance at the oil company, three of whom were Sunnis and eight were Shi’ites.
The trial took place at the Police Fort in Manama, a poor choice of location. The site
had been chosen with the aim of providing a larger space for individuals concerned
with the trial and for security reasons. However the selected location seemed to
have later agitated the crowds outside as they feared that the venue would not give
185 Sir Charles Dalrymple Belgrave’s Personal Diaries, 2 June 1954.
186 ‘Government of Bahrain: Annual Report for Year 1954 (September 1953-December 1954)’, 1-105
(48-49); and A.K. Al-Alaiwat, Al-Bahrain… Muthakrati min Al-Hay’eh Ila Al-Istiqlal [Bahrain… My
Memoir from the Committee to Independence] (Manama: 2014), 45.
187 Al-Bakir, From Bahrain to Exile, 49-52.
© Hamad E. Abdulla 60
