'Administration Reports 1920-1924' [‎159r] (322/412)

PERSIAN" GULP POLITICAL RESIDENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , 1923.
69
gliaik Hamad sent for,' and detained for a few days, the leader of the
Powa .sir, Ahmad bin Abdulla. He was required to produce certain people of
jns village who it was believed had been wounded, during the attack on 'Ali,
To do so, would have proved their participation, or at least made it difficult to
explain their wounds. He excused himself on various pretexts. In spite of
the evidence of hundreds of witnesses, including the wounded persons, the
Dowasir protested that they had no knowledge of the whole affair. Such also
was the intensity of religious feeling that scarcely a Sunni could be found who
.ciid not stoutly deny that the .Dowasir could possibly commit such a crime.
The nephew of Khan Sahib Yusuf Kanoo, C.I.E., M.B.E., K.I.H., who owns
motor cars for hire by the public, declined on his uncle's advice, to hire his cars
to the headmen of 'Ali to enable them to bring wounded Shia women and others
to hospital.
Under such circumstances it was impossible to hope for justice from any
tribunal composed of Sunnis only, and a mixed tribunal would have taken
opposite views, and merely intensified the existant ill-feeling. Any attempt
to determine the responsibility for the crime by means of a " Majlis '—the
oqnivaleiit of an Indian Frontier * Jirga ' would have been abortive. Shaik
Hamad accordingly inflicted a fine on Ahmad bin Abdulla, for failure to control
jiis followers. The money was paid by subscriptions by the Sunnis, and was
devoted to payment of compensation to the wounded and heirs of the killfed.
The punishment was of course inadequate, and shortly afterwards a well
Imown Shiah Alim and his companion were murdered on a road near the Dowasir
village of Budaiyeh, under circumstances which clearly pointed to the murder,
bning an act of revenge by the Dowasir, the victim having given evidence against
them in the previous case.
The fact that the Buler failed to take any action in this case still further
encouraged those opposed to his rule, particularly the Sunni Nakhudas, who
apart from their dislike of reforms calculated to make them amenable to law
on a common footing with Shias, were apprehensive that the reforms would
ineludfe some check on the serious abuses which have crept into the diving
trade, from which they derive their fortunes. They are wealthy and conse
quently influential. Encouraged by Shaik Easa, and Shaik Abdulla and other
members of A1 Khalifeh, who resented the curtailment of their powers, and
assisted by some Egyptian and Persian agitators, they embarked on a calumni-
ons press campaign, ostensibly aimed at what was termed ' British Interfer
ence ' but in reality with the object of wrecking the reforms, and causing the
overthrow of Shaik Hamad and a reversion to the rule of Shaik Easa, under
whom they could expect absolute license.
In October, one Abdul Wahab Zayaini ( a member of a family, all of whom
have derived their fortunes from pearling) whom in spite of the fact that he
and his family had in the past enjoyed complete immunity from taxation, had
continually intrigued against the Ruler, commenced holding secret meetings
and endeavoured to obtain signatures to a petition to the Resident. Some ten
persons signed such a petition, couched in unbecoming terms, complaining of
the interference of the British, objecting to the initiation of reforms, and
demanding the return of the rulership to Shaik Easa. Funds were collected
for a press campaign and an Egyptian agitator, notorious in the Grulf, was sent
to Bin Saud and to the Ruler of Qatar to enlist their sympathies.
The Honourable the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. visited Bahrain on November 1st.
Shaik Hamad requested him, in writing, to remove from his dominions Abdul
Wahab and another, and Ahmad bin Abdulla A1 Dosari, who were stirring up
his subjects against him and creating ill feeling. TFe Government of India,
in view of the Shaik's request sanctioned their deportation. Meanwhile, how
ever, the headman of the Dowasir, Ahmad bin Abdulla, had presumably guessed
the Shaik's intentions, or was nervous as a result of the murder of the Alim,
referred to above. He therefore had decided to leave, together with any of
his tribe whom lie could influence, for the mainland, ostensibly because he could
not brook the new regime. His departure was arranged to synchronise with
the presentation pf the petition by Abdul Wahab, and the Nakhudas had great
hopes that such action would terrify Shaik Hamad and cause him to resign
(determied effiorts to frighten and cajole him into resignation were made)
or force the hand of Government to replace Shaik Easa.
LeGlFD