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'File 19/165 IV (C 57) Bahrain Reforms' [‎123r] (276/476)

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The record is made up of 1 file (219 folios). It was created in 12 Feb 1927-30 Apr 1930. It was written in English and Arabic. 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. .

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5
In connection with these events Major Cox reported :—
" I do not see how we can expect anything but periodical trouble from
a continuation of our laudable endeavours to carry on the Gov
ernment of the islands through the rule of a chief, who has shown
himself to possess few, if any, of the qualifications necessary for the
maintenance of order, the security of persons and of trade
he was accordingly in favour of stronger measures but His Majesty's
Government decided that the amelioration of the internal govern
ment should be sought by indirect and pacific means ;
{e) In 1919 Shaikh Abdulla's interview with Sir Arthur Hirtzel showed how
the Ruler chafed against the interference 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 the
matter of jurisdiction over foreigners and appointments to the Bench
of Magistrates. Although 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. possessed these powers,
he was powerless to stop misrule ;
(f) The gross oppression from which the deposition of Shaikh Isa in 1923
rescued the people—especially the Baharanah, and the opening that
this oppression gave to foreign nations—especially the Persians and
the WahaHis. The oppression is set out in the extracts from Major
Daly's report forwarded to Government under Colonel Trevor's letter
No. 23-S., dated the 8th January 1922 ;
{g) Colonel Knox brought to the notice of Government that the whole
management of affairs would more and more come into the hands
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. ;
(A) With an uneducated Arab independence means the power to do many
things of which we do not approve. It means administering the islands
for the sake of the Chief of the tribes, exploiting the people for the
rulers, and treating the Shiahs as a people of an unprivileged class;
(i) Government, and not 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. , finally had to insist on threats
instead of advice ;
{j) Shaikh Hamad is a pleasant man but weak, and it is idle to pretend he
and his brothers would not backslide. To relax too much means
to go through the same grind as we have come.
3. Throughout the History of Bahrain during the twentieth century, the fear
of interference displayed by the Government of India is apparent. In 1904 they
decided " to pursue a cautions policy Later, 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. was to " seek
the amelioration of the internal government by indirect and pacific means, and by
gaining the confidence and trust of the Shaikh. "
In 1922 they "did not desire to be drawn into interference between the
Shaikh and his people " Government are not prepared to act until they are
satisfied all local resources are exhausted ".
Yet it was this Government, who were so obviously and sincerely anxious to
avoid interference, which finally had to order 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. to take the
steps which led to the deposition of the Ruler. They never, however, forgot their
original policy, and within a couple of months are again warning the Political
Agent to be on his guard against being tempted to interfere too much, or to become
the administrative officer rather than the adviser.
ft is obvious that Government did their very best to avoid the action of 1923 ;
but it was forced on them by the gross tyranny of the A1 Khalifa, whom Shaikh
Isa made no attempt to restrain, and by the pressure of the London Foreign Office,
fearful of the reaction in Persia of the oppression of a Shiah population, and
because misrule would be the only serious flaw in our case if the status of Bahrain
ai i<i our position in the Islands was brought before the League of Nations ".
4. The point to remember now is that Shaikh Isa, the Ruler, was not bad
natured at heart. Although obstinate in rejecting all advice from the Political Agents
as derogatory to his position as an independent ruler, he was easy-going and had
a strong dislike for interfering with the actions of members of his family even
w hen these took the form of gross tyranny. The family—the A1 Khalifa—were
^educated savages with a veneer of town manners. The outlook of Shaikh Isa
and his family was as is described in paragraph 2 {h) above. Now Shaikh Hamad

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Content

The file contains material regarding a number of topics including the status of Bahrain following the social and economic reforms that were implemented by the British during the preceding years, the geo-strategic rationale behind Britain's interest in maintaining its dominant position in the country, a detailed discussion of the historical development of Britain's relationship with Bahrain (and the history of Al Khalifa rule) and discussion concerning fears that a too dominant British role would provoke Arab fears and push them towards a closer relationship with Bin Saud.

A number of other topics are discussed in less detail including ideas for reforming the police force in Bahrain and an idea for the establishment of a civil court in the country.

Extent and format
1 file (219 folios)
Arrangement

File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.

Physical characteristics

A bound correspondence file. The file is foliated with uncircled numbers in the top right-hand corner of each front-facing page.

Original numeration 1/123 then continued. Precedent foliations have been crossed out. Original numeration by folio started on first page of text top right hand number until folio 123, then by page 124/140. A third numeration by page starts towards the end of the volume.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 19/165 IV (C 57) Bahrain Reforms' [‎123r] (276/476), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/340, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023555763.0x00004d> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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