'Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Political Residency for the Years 1911-1914' [‎121r] (246/488)

FOR THE YEAR 1912.
103
ible, sometimes even against his better judgment, to the influences of personal
friendship. It is to be regretted in some ways that the pre-oecupations of the
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Bahrain and the largely judicial position he holds, make it
difficult for him to go out of his way to cultivate the acquaintance of the Arabs
personally. It is difficult for him to see much of them except in relation to
business when their interests are often at stake.
The constant necessity also of guarding the interest of a large alien
population, who are not popular, tends na'turally to produce some sense of
opposition between the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. and the Arabs.
On the whole, however, the relationship existing between them is to be
regarded as decidedly satisfactory.
In all places circumstanced as Bahrain is, difficulty must necessarily arise
Good offices to Bahrain Subjects and others. in particular cases in deciding to grant or
withhold our good offices.
The right to British protection is highly prized, and when once acquired
every effort is made to give it a hereditary character. Thus the descendants of
a Bahrain subject who has become a Naturalised British subject in India,
cling to the privileges of their forebear; and those persons who have for one
reason or another been made Honorary Munshis A term used in the Middle East, Persia and South Asia to refer to a secretary, assistant or amanuensis. Munshis were employed in the British administration in the Gulf. regard the protection of
themselves and their offspring as the legitimate price of their services whether
these are real or imaginary. The ideal position aimed at, of course, by all
such individuals and families is to have a foot firmly planted in each camp and
to be able to appeal to the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. when in extremis or when their case
is bad.
Legally it is evident they have no standing ground, but they have public
feeling on their side, and rejecting their claims we have to face a certain
depreciation in public opinion. The question of protecting such persons may
at any moment come to the front, and in such a case the temptation is always
to carry our prerogatives to the extreme or beyond the extreme point. That
is what is always expected of the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , not only by his staff but by
the general public. In the case of Bahrain, our position seems sufficiently
strong to warrant oti? throwing considerations of prestige in such cases to the
winds and keeping within the strict limits of legality.
This principle has been acted on during the year, and the "good offices"
of the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. have on more than one occasion been refused to persons presum
ing on a lapsed or defective right.
After an interval of six years another regrettable intanc of punishment by
Primitive Justice. mutilation has been recorded. The Political
Agent approached Shaikh Isa tentatively
•on the subject, but found him strongly entrenched behind the sanction of the
Shara. The case was referred to Bushire, but a letter from the Political
Resident suggesting that the Shaikh should undertake not to sanction such
punishments in the future, received only an uncompromising non possumus
answer.
No necessity or excuse for barbarous punishments exists in Bahrain, and
we occupy such a strong and prominent position that our moral responsibility,
which is fully recognised by the public, is very great if we permit their
employment to be continued. The last case of mutilation occurred in 1906.
The matter was therefore referred to Government with the suggestion
that Shaikh Isa should be warned that such punishments cannot be permitted
in Manama, and it has been decided that a warning will be given to the Shaikh
when the Bahrain Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. is introduced.
As the result of a great friction which occurred between him and his
Katr Loci Government. 0f ^ P 0siti01 l,
Shaikh Abdullah bm Jasim A1 Thani re
signed his governorship of Doha and has since persistently refused to resume the
governorship without an explicit undertaking from the members of the tc A1
Thani" family that his orders would be obeyed.
Shaikh Jasim bin Muhammad A1 Thani used every effort to patch up the
quarrel between his sons, but was not successful. The Wali of Basrah inter
ested himself in this affair and communicated to Shaikh Jasim that the Turkish