Page 89 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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In January a Left Wing member submitted a Bill to the Persian Parliament sponsored by 15
deputies demanding the return of Bahrain to Persia. A section of the Persian press strongly supported
the move.
Much capital was made out of a Shia Arab youth from Bahrain who went to Teheran and was
acclaimed by members of the Government as the leader of the Bahrain National Front and the repre­
sentative of the people of the country. In fact he was a very junior clerk in a local commercial firm
who had not long since been promoted from an office messenger. For some time he was quoted in the
press, interviewed and photographed but when his publicity value was found to be negligible he
was dropped.
The Persian claim produced a quantity of articles in the Arabic press which did not regard it
sympathetically, it was commented on in a number of European and American papers and produced
broadcast references to Bahrain, in Arabic, from Russia. The repercussions which it caused in Bahrain
were a tightening up in some of the passport regulations.