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'File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain' [45v] (107/224)
The record is made up of 1 volume (98 folios). It was created in 30 Dec 1921-27 Jul 1924. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
14
20- land their wealth as 100:1. I really heUeve I am understating facts. Oil
the other hand, the other Government has been, so to speak behind a pnrdah and
the Snnni commnnity and its rider have been apt to stand aloof and distinct from
other communities and, although there has no doubt been some progress they
otber GQnmim _ f * Tt is my earnes t hope, which T am confident is
fullv shared bv Shaikhs Hamad and Abdullah and by 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.
, that the
measures of reform we initiate to-day will bring the Sunm commumtv into Ime
S other communities. They will pull their weight in the boat and have as is
their birthright, a preponderating voice in the administration of these Islands
so that in spit; of some natural regrets, we can look forward with some confi
dence to a bright and happy future for the Sunm community.
I must now give mv first warning, which is to those who collect the main
revenues of these Islands-the Customs revenues-that after deduction of nece*-
sarv working expenses, they must pay all such revenues to Shaikh Hamad and o
Shaikh Hamad alone. No drafts except those signed by lum on the Customs should
be honoured. Infringements of this rule will entail dismissal and the personal
responsibility of the guilty party.
Mv second warning is to the Qazis. We shall preserve the Shara Law and the
Shara Courts to the fullest possible extent and we have no wish to fetter litigants
or those who seek arbitration, from free recourse to Shara but any Qazi who per
mits the interference or advocacy of influential persons or their submitting cases
to Shara will be dismissed from his appointment, be he Sunm or Shiah. The
onlv persons who have the power to commit cases to Shara are Shaikh Hamad
and 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.
, Bahrain, or their regularly appointed deputies. Qazis
are expected to be vigilant against these abuses' and to defeat these attempts by
suspending cases and reporting to Shaikh Hamad or 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.
, Bahrain,
as mav seem most convenient or expedient in the particular case. T repeat that
the free intercourse of litigants themselves direct to Shara is a right which, bod ^
forbid ! I or anyone else should interfere with.
Attempts by unauthorized persons to usurp executive or judicial authority
will be resented and punished, particularly attempts by persons who constitute
themselves leaders of any community as has been done m the past-
Gentlemen of the Al-Khalifa :
I am afraid that looking to the past it is my duty to warn you that you must
not expect that because you have taken the trouble to be born you have therefore
a right to live on the rest of the community, whether by allowances from the
revenues of these Islands or by preying on the poor and helpless. s ' He who will
not work, neither shall he eat " is a good motto and you had better apply it to
your own case. Those of you who lend your energies to assisting Shaikh Hamad
in his thankless task of raising the Government of these Islands to the plgjie of
modern civilization will be liberally rewarded and given opportunities of exercis
ing such talents as God has given you. Those who sit still and do nothing must
be content with a bare pittance for subsistence. Those who do mischief will be cut
of! absolutely and punished accordingly. In any case, it is Shaikh Hamad to
whom all classes must now look for reward and punishment and the. British Gov
ernment, here by my mouth, promises him full support in all lawful exercise of
authority. I endeavour to turn your thoughts to education and the means of
earning an honest living for you are too numerous for ail to find places in the ad
ministration and I fear, owing to neglect, many are not competent.
Gentlemen of the Sunni persuasion and especially the Dawasir tribesmen :
It is for you to understand that we mean to establish the rule of these Islands
under a Shaikh of the Al-Khalifa and that the Shaikh's rights are going to be
enforced equally over all to the best of Shaikh Hamad's ability and in such attempts
he will have our full support. You have frequently met such threats in the past
by a counter threat to leave these Islands in a body and go over to Bin Saud or
others. If that is your intention, in God's name, go ; but if you resign as a protest,
do not be surprised if your lands and houses are confiscated to the State and given
to others, and I can assure you that there will be no lack of applicants. These
Islands are not date gardens in desert Arabia where tlie proprietors roam the
About this item
- Content
The volume contains printed copies of Government of India confidential correspondence, relating to the Bahrain reforms. The majority of the letters contained in volume are printed copies of correspondence originally sent to the Government of India either by 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Trevor or Acting Resident Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart Knox), or 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. at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly). Much of the correspondence featured in the volume can be found in the original (or as office copies) in a number of files in the two Bahrain Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. subsubseries ‘File 9 Bahrain Reforms’ (IOR/R/15/2/127-138) and ‘File 8 Miscellaneous’ (IOR/R/15/2/121-126), and the Bushire 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. subsubseries ‘File 19 Bahrain’ (IOR/R/15/1/314-77).
The printed correspondence contained in the volume covers a range of subjects:
- Events leading up to the programme of reforms carried out in Bahrain: allegations of the oppression of Bahraini subjects by members of the Āl Khalīfah family, violence, the deteriorating economic situation;
- The reforms proposed and implemented by British officials: replacement of Shaikh ‘Īsá by Shaikh Ḥamad as defacto ruler, economic reforms, judicial reforms, pearl diving industry reforms, customs house reforms;
- Specific incidents of violence involving Sunnis and Shias, or Najdis and Persians.
Some of the papers in the volume are accompanied by duplicate copies:
- Folios 61-64 are duplicates of folios 57-60;
- Folios 68-69 are duplicates of folios 66-67;
- Folios 81-84 are duplicates of folios 77-80.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (98 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume's contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items at the front and finishing with the latest items at the end.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . Most of the items in the volume are printed items that have their own internal pagination systems, using printed numbers in the top-right corners of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages and the top-left corners of verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. pages, or centred at the top of both verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. and recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain' [45v] (107/224), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/131, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023403812.0x00006c> [accessed 20 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/131
- Title
- 'File 9/4 Bahrain Reforms. Introduction of Reforms in Bahrain'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1ar:1fv, 2r:15r, 17v:18v, 21r:42v, 44v:46v, 47v:71v, 73r:74v, 75v:79r, 80v:83r, 84v:91r, 92v:93r, 94v:103v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence