Page 164 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

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7/AKF DEPARTMENTS.
Sunni Wakfs.
The Sunni ;Yakf Department continues in an extremly

unsatisfactory condition, The Takfs iare administered by the
three Sunni Kadis assisted by a minor Shaikh of the Ruling

Family and a staff of clerks, all of whom receive salaries from
the Government. Two of the three Kadis are elderly men with
neither the ability ior the inclination to interest themselves
actively in supervising the 7/akfs estates which consist of many

valuable gardens, house and bazar property in Manamah, Muharrak
end Hedd, and a number of fish traps along the coast, Owing

to lack of supervision the revenue is not properly collected
and the expenditure is uncontrolled. Many of the rents are
collected directly by the Imams of Mosques to which they are
dedicated, and there is no check on the amounts collected or

the way ins. which the income is spent. Mosques which have
property specially dedicated for lamps or mats or water are

almost destitute of the requirements and it is a well known
fact that the 7/alis divert the funds for such objects to their
own pockets, numerous !7akfs exist for non existenbi schools,
these also are absorbed by the administrators. It is a

significant fact that the dedication of TTakfs has greatly fallen
off, among the Sunnis, during recent years. The public are
aware of this and the Government is much criticised for allowing

such a state of things to continue, but any reforms in this
direction should be instituted by the Ruler himself.
Another fact which the public reseht is that the

nanagementi of the 7/akfs is in the hands of the three Kadis
who are also the Shera Court. Frequent disputes occur over
the authenticity of TIakfs and these cases are referred to the

Shera Court, Not unnaturally people think that the Kadis are
liable to be biased in favour of the 7/akfs which they themselves
edninister. The Kadis themselves receive a considerable income
i from 7/akfs.