"ملف 9/4 إصلاحات البحرين. تطبيق الإصلاحات في البحرين" [و‎‎٤] (٢٢٤/٢٤)

the very large foreign elemetit is rapidly becoming more enlightened, the oppres
sion of the ruling family is greater than would be tolerated among tribal Arabs,
who are in a position to take the law into their own hands when unusually dis
satisfied.
C. K. DALY, Major, I.A.,
Political Agent, Bahrain,
Serial No. 3.
No. 24-S., dated Bushire, the 6th (received the 17th) January 1922.
From—The Hon'ble Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Trevor, C.S.I., C.I.E., Political
Resident in the Persian Gulf.
Subject :— Tyranny of the Shaikh of Bahrain and hisjamily over Bahrain subjects.
In my letter No. 496-S., dated 30th December regarding the tyranny of the
Shaikh of Bahrain over his subjects, I stated that I had requested the Political
Agent to forward to me notes of a few of the more glaring cases of oppression, and
I now have the honour to submit for the information of the Government of India,
a copy of his memorandum giving particulars of certain cases of oppression of
various sorts.
Case No. 6 was reported to the Government of India in my letter No. 272 -S.,
dated 21st September 1920. Case No. 16 was the one alluded to in my letter
above-mentioned as having been reported to me at the interview on 21st Decem
ber ; in describing the case I inadvertently stated that Shaikh Khalid was the
offender instead of Shaikh Hamud bin Subah. I regret that I should have made
this mistake, but the main facts are correct, and the case is a very glaring one.
It will be noticed that Shaikh Abdulla is responsible for many of the acts of
oppression. Just before and during the early part of the war Shaikh Abdulla
seemed to be the most intelligent and progressive of the Shaikh's sons ; when I was
at Bahrain he was helpful in the matter of the landing arrangements, and when
Colonel (then Captain) Keyes was Political Agent at the beginning of the war he
was very useful and was given a C.I.E. All this, however, seems to have been done
with a view to supplant his elder brother Shaikh Hamad as heir-apparent, and
towards the end of the war and for some time after Shaikh Abdulla became virtual
ruler of Bahrain.
When the state of affairs was first brought to my notice I thought that perhaps
matters would be improved by reinstating Shaikh Hamad in his proper position,
and this was done last hot weather, but as reported in my above mentioned letter
it has not had the desired effect. At the same time the question of reinstating
Shaikh Hamad came up there was considerable agitation against Shaikh Abdulla
and the latter thought it advisable to pretend to withdraw from affairs in case
matters should come to a head ; he therefore pretended to acquiesce in Sheikh
Hamad's reinstatement but has never ceased to intrigue against him. In this he
is ably assisted by his mother who is a very masterful lady and who completely
dopminates Shaikh Easa. v
The Political Agent has frequently spoken to Shaikh Easa about these matters
but he is quite in his dotage and completely under the thumb of his wife, so that
nothing can be done in this way. He has also had several talks with Shaikh Abdulla
but the latter, while professing everything declines to mend his ways. Another
point is that under present conditions if Shaikh Easa were to die, Shaikh Abdulla
would certainly not allow Hamad to succeed quietly, without making a fight for it.
In the circumstances I think the only way to improve matters would be for
Government to inform the Shaikh that owing to the number of complaints against