Page 53 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

because I could afford to disregard money as from the day that I got a
to school? If they do, they will think themselves better than their fathers/
commission in the Army I lived on my pay, which was seven-and-six- It was difficult to get a word in, but I said, ‘You don’t have to send your
pence a day, less than a coolie now earns in Bahrain. But this is a digression j daughters to school/ He ignored this and went on, ‘If girls learn to read
from the subject of Bahrain schools! and write, what is to prevent them from getting letters from men, with--------
One day, after wc had been a year or two in Bahrain, Marjorie said out their parents’ knowledge?’ His last words, as he sailed out of the
to the Shaikh’s wife, ‘What a pity it is that the girls here have no chance office, muttering angrily, were: 'Ya Mustashar! We did not expect that
of being educated like the boys.’ The Shaikha was immediately interested; you, of all people, would propose such a shameful and unsuitable thing.*
she had been to England with Shaikh Hamcd in 1925 and she knew that Marjorie found that among the Arab ladies there was very little
in other countries there were schools for girls as well as for boys. They opposition; only some of the old grandmothers expressed disapproval,
discussed the idea and the Shaikha promised to give her support if Marjorie the younger women were attracted by the idea. We were afraid that all
would organize a school for girls. A few days later I broached the subject the commotion would cause the Shaikh to think twice before putting the
with the Shaikh; rather to my surprise he expressed his approval. The scheme into action, but he was not deterred by the opposition and the
next move was to get some outside support, for I knew that a girls’ school school was opened. The wife of the school inspector was the first head­
would be regarded as a disruptive innovation. mistress, assisted by two or three local Arab women who had a modicum
I thought that I could count on the support of several of the more of education. In the beginning only a few girls came to school, rather
progressive merchants, so I asked them to come and see me, separately, surreptitiously, but soon more parents allowed their daughters to attend.
and told them what we proposed to do. After discussion I found that the Marjorie was able to get another woman teacher from Beirut and when
attitude of most of them was: ‘It would be a good thing to have girls* the uproar had subsided a second girls’ school was started in Muharraq;
schools, but I would prefer my name not to be mentioned. Of course I it was formally opened by the Shaikh’s wife: This time there was no fuss
am not old-fashioned, but some of my friends would be upset if they or hullabaloo.
knew that I was concerned in this. But I will give you all the help I can, The girls enjoyed school and by degrees those whose fathers had not
from the background.’ This was a very typical Bahrain attitude. Two or permitted them to attend worried their parents into allowing them to go
three of them, however, including Mohammed Ali Zainal al Reza, an to school. Mothers found it convenient to have their children out of the
important pearl merchant from the Hejaz, who had a lot of influence in house, in safe hands, during part of the day; even the fathers, when they
Bahrain, openly supported the scheme. Mohammed Ali was interested in found that their daughters were not being taught anything unsuitable,
education, he had himself opened schools, for boys, in the Hejaz and in began to look more kindly on education for girls. Some years later the
old pearl merchant from Muharraq, who had been so vehemently op­
Bombay, and he approved of women being educated. With the Shaikh’s
approval we let it be known that the Government was opening a girls’ posed to girls’ schools, came to see me again. This time it was to com­
plain that his grand-daughters had not been admitted to the Muharraq
school.
school—the reason being that they had not applied for admission in the
There were immediate repercussions. A public petition was organized
proper way but arrived at the school on the first day of the term and
by some of the leading Arabs and presented to the Shaikh, protesting
demanded to be allowed to enter. I told him that as there was a waiting
against such a dangerous innovation. One of the Kadhis preached a ser-
list of almost ioo girls, all of whom had applied for admittance months
mon in the mosque, deploring the idea of girls’ schools, and many of
before, his children would have to wait their turn. Then I could not help
my Arab friends came to remonstrate with me at my imprudence in
saying to him, ‘But did you not tell me once that you were never going
supporting such a dangerous scheme. An old, white-bearded pearl
to send any of your family to a girls’ school?’ He roared with laughter.
merchant from Muharraq became quite Violent. He sat in my office and
‘True,* he said, ‘that is what I thought then. But now all my neighbours
shouted, seizing my hand to emphasize his arguments. ‘We don’t want
our daughters educated,’ he stormed; ‘women give us quite enough •send their girls to school and the young men in my family insist on their
daughters being educated/ ‘Then you do not now think that education
trouble as it is/ I knew that he had had a great many wives! ‘What use is
education to them? I never went to school. Why should my daughters go is harmful?* Tasked. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘I do not now see any harm in it,
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