Page 208 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

198 Records oj Bahrain

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12. December 6lh.—Aftor taking two moro Btatornonts of p orsons who lmd
got tired of waiting and liad nbsoondud tho day boforo, I proooudod with
Captain Pridoaux to Muhnrrag to aoo tho Shoikli.
I was proparod for didloulty in bringing him round but not for tho ohango
of front whioli wo now oxpcrionccd.
I l)3".\n by tolling him that I had ox a mi nod all his witnossos as dosirod
and askod hi n what improidon his son and Va/.ior had givon him of tho mvturo
of thoir tostimony. lio ropliod that thoy had duly posted him.
I tlion showed him tho filo of stntomonts that I had brought and askod him
whothor ho would liko to have thorn translated to him now or whothor I oould
leave an intorprotor with him to doit at loisuro. Ho said no; ho did not
want thorn road or translated, he oould call for tho mon himself if ho wanted
to hoar thoir statomonts. I ropliod that in that oaso all that remained to bo
douo was for mo to givo him my opinion on tho oaso; and with his pormisaion
1 proceeded to do so.
13. I oxplnincd that tho only point on which tho ovidcnco of tho Arabs
Bocmed to throw any doubt was ns to whether aftor tho collision in tho atroot
it was tho Persian or tho Arab boy who struck tho iirst blow ; that that point
did not seem to be of tho first importanou nud wus certainly no oxouso for tho
murderous attack which had boon rnado on a wholo family including an
unfortunate old greybeard who had boon innocently wonding his way homo
after his long itamzun day iu his shop.
I continued that in spito of his allegation and tho Mullah’s Istishhnd to tho
cffoct that it was tho Arabs who had boonattaokod and had suirored, not a single
wouuded man was produood or wouud proYod, nor was there a trace of any.
It was altogcthor contrary to probability that this ono family of merchants
rind men of peace (Abdu Nnbi'sj, part of an exceedingly small community of
Persians, should for a moment daro to got up a concerted attuck upon Arabs in
an Arab town of some thousands of inhabitants.
I thought thcrd’was'nb getting over tho fact that a serious o'fouco had huon
committed by a number of rouglis among his subjects and tlmt it was incum­
bent upon him as a ruler tosutasido his roligious prejudices aud have adequato
justico meted out.
1-JL. I then ropealod to him tho mcasuros whioli I had proposed to him
beforo (Enolosuro 0) and also ropoated that I was prepared to met him half
way in regard to any detail, if ho was generally proparod to accept my advice.
XIis reply to this must bo noted.
“I havo only ouo answor to givo, namoly, that I will do nothing in tills
case oxoept after trial by my own Shariat or Urf Court.”
I pointed out to him (as I had done onco beforo when lio mentioned tho
Shariat) that this was no caso for tho Slmriat, ospcoially when tho Shariat
would he tho Sunni Mullahs, Shoikli Jnssim and his brother, Shoikli Ahmad,
who were themselves moro or less mixed up iu this alTair. 1 added that in any
oaso in this instance, a9 ho had boon told boforo, tho Persians hod complainod . /
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to thoir Qoverumout, which had ollioially askod us to see justico done, nud
that ho might tako my word for it that in this oaso at all ovonts tho British
Governmont would not consider that justico would ho douo by a roforonoo to
tho local Mullahs. Moreover, no Mahommudan could bo compelled to go to a
•Shariat Court if he did not wish, aud tho Porsinns absolutely refused to tako tliat ,
course. I oxplninod to him that it did not moan, so far as my present informa­
tion went, taking tho Persians out of his jurisdiction altogothor.
As to his “ Urf" or Civil Court, I might bo oxcusod for roraiuding him that
no properly constituted Court of that nature oxisted in his torrilory, and that I
could not agreo that aftor what had passed any suitable porsons could bo found to
form ono, upon wnoso integrity and intention to do justioo nuy oonfidonco could
bo placed,
The Shoikli, howovor, was quite obdurate, and would giyo no other answor.
Captuin Pridcaux will boar mo >miTftirTTianrwas most pationt and quiot with
him and continued for a long tlmo ondonvouring to porsundc him not to cono to
a deadlock with mo, hut to agroo to any sort of compromise which would show