Page 358 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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were found in tho possession of a disposer of stolen property and the seller was traced and sent to
prison. Thefts in the country villages arc rare occurrences and there arc only occasional eases in
Muharraq and Hedd, thieves arc most active in Manama which is inhabited by a better off class of
foreigners.

Greater prosperity and the presence of many foreigners in Bahrain contributed to the develop­
ment of certain social evils, particularly in the towns. The villages with their close knit communities
have been less affected by the general deterioration in morals and manners. Prostitution increased
in recent years and has become more blatant, in spite of the repeated protests of the religious leaders
and the respectable notables of the community, and with this has come an appalling increase in venereal
diseases. The question of registration and compulsory medical examination of prostitutes has been
under consideration but small progress has yet been made in this direction, though many of the
women voluntarily apply for treatment at the hospitals. Gambling, which provides an incentive for
stealing, existed before the war but during the war it became rampant in spite of the drastic steps
which were taken by the authorities to check it. Drinking of liquor by the Arabs has developed into
a serious problem. The Moslem State of Bahrain has officially always been “ dry ” but as far back
as 20 years ago a few notorious Arabs were known to drink. Their beverage was arrak, made from
dates, which they brewed in their own houses. It is a potent liquor but not so detrimental to the
health as some of the concoctions which became popular in later years. There was a period during
which the import and demand for Eau-de-Cologne reached a surprising level; when it was found
that Eau-de-Cologne, sometimes mixed with pineapple juice, had become a fashionable drink the
Government put a ban upon its sale in the bazaar. Neat spirit was used as a substitute for Eau-de-
Cologne until regulations controlling its sale were imposed. For some time before the war and to a
greater extent during the war spirits could be obtained in the Black Market, whisky at one time
fetched Rs. ioo a bottle and the price of a bottle of local arrak rose to eight or ten rupees. Illicit
stills were a profitable concern and much ingenuity was displayed in hiding them. One arrak factory
was discovered in a subterranean passage underneath one of the main streets in the bazaar. Imported
liquor found its way to the Black Market from private houses and messes, where it was stolen by
servants or in some cases from non-Europeans who by selling one bottle of whisky could make enough
money to pay for their drink quota for the month, but as these sales were carefully negotiated they
were difficult to detect. In the Bahrain courts liquor offences have always been dealt with severely,
by imprisonment for six or eight months, without option of a fine, but in spite of deterrents the number
of Arabs who now drink, in Bahrain, is steadily increasing. It has been argued that if liquor was
sold openly in the bazaar, as it is in many neighbouring Moslem countries, though not in Saudi Arabia
or Kuwait, less harm would result from it. Probably some of the yoting men who now drink do so
partly because it is a forbidden thing but public opinion and the views of the Ruler, the Qadis and
the leading Arabs are emphatically opposed to the slightest relaxation of the rule forbidding liquor
to the people of Bahrain.
The use of narcotics is also forbidden. Twenty years ago only a few Persians and Baluchis
smoked opium and none of the Arabs had acquired this habit. Gradually opium smoking spread
among the Arabs and to-day many young Bahrain Arabs are addicts. In the last two years hashish
had made its appearance in the country and is being extensively used. Cigarettes stuffed with hashish
were at one time being sold in the bazaar at Re. i each. In most cases it has been young men who
have developed these habits, some who have appeared before the courts have become mentally and
physically demoralised. The police and customs authorities have caught many consignments of
opium and hashish being smuggled into Bahrain, houses and shops have been raided in Manama
and Muharraq and hidden stores of drugs have been found. As a measure to combat this menace
to the people of Bahrain the Bahrain State Courts have recently, with the authority of His Highness
the Ruler, taken to punishing persons who are convicted of using or trading in drugs with a minimum
sentence of 12 months’ hard labour.

The war years produced new kinds of criminal offences such as smuggling, Black Market trading,
hoarding and profiteering all of which were dealt with by the police and the customs authorities with
little or no co-operation from the public. Smuggling before the war was on a small scale and