File 522/1922 Pt 4 'Persian Gulf: Bahrein: Internal' [‎297v] (599/616)

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Letter from the Hon’ble Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Trevor, C.S.L,
C.T.E., 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. , No. 56-S., dated
Bushire, the 17th (received 30th) January 1924.
Sunni and Shiah troubles in Bahrein.
In continuation of the correspondence ending with my telegram No. 90, '
dated 15th January 1924, I have the honour to submit, for the information
of the Government of India, the following report regarding the outrage
committed against the village of Wadiyan in Sitrah on the night of the
7th-8th January.
2. It appears-that during the night of the 7th-8th January a number of
armed men, some of whom have been recognised as coming from Rifa, sur
rounded the village of Wadiyan in Sitrah and opened fire on it. As a
result (as already reported in my telegram No. 51, dated 10 th January)
one man and one woman were killed and five persons, including one
woman, wounded. Rifa is a large village about lo miles inland from
Manameh on the main island which has for years been the residence of
Sheikh KhaUd, the brother of Shaikh Isa, and his sons, and is completely
dominated by him. I have not yet got the evidence, such as it is, about the
actual perpetrators of the crime, but one can start off by assuming without
hesitation that no inhabitants of Rifa would dare to do such a thing without
the knowledge and consent of Sheikh Khalid and Sheikh Ibrahim, his son;
in fact there is a strong presumption that the outrage w T as committed by the
orders of one or other or perhaps both.
3. The outrage was arranged to take place after Sheikh Hamad had gone
on a shooting expedition to the Persian Coast near Lingah, and was probably
committed with a view to getting him into difficulties and possibly trouble
with Government, as w^ell as with the object of taking revenge on those inhabi
tants of Sitrah, or on the people there generally, who dared to complain and
give evidence about the previous outrage - complaints wdiich resulted in the
banishment of Sheikh Ali bin Ivhalid to India and of one of his biothers
to the mainland.
4. Sheikh Hamad had only left Bahrein on the evening of the 5 th and had
just arrived at Lingah when the news of the outrage reached Mohammed, who
was acting for him, 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. . The former immediately wired to
Sheikh Hamad asking him to come back, 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. telegraphed
to me reporting the affair and asking me to telegraph to Sheikh Hamad and
request him to return. This I did and he promptly did return by the first
subsidiary steamer calling at Lingah, arriving at Bahrein on the 14th instan^.
On arrival Sheikh Hamad appears to have called on 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
as soon as he entered the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. the house was apparently surrounded by
hundreds of Baharnab wanting to complain to him. The petitioners appeared
to have become somewhat da norous and something of a demonstration
apparently occurred, as a result of which Sheikh Hamad produced a letter, w ine
presumably had been prepared beforehand, and having read it out to the crow ,
handed it to Major Daly. The gist of this letter (as reported in my telegram
No. 88 , dated 15th January) is that Sheikh Hamad is prepared to take
whatever action he is directed to do by Government but is unable tu do
anything without such orders. In this connection I forward herewith, a copy
l, of a telegram from the Bahreini community dated 15th instant reporting tins
incident and imploring the assistance of Government.
5. Previous to the arrival of Sheikh Hamad certain members °f | ®
Baharnah community had presented a petition to Major Daly on the b
instant asking him to forward to me a copy of a monster petition signed an
sealed by hundreds of Bahrein Shiahs. These were duly forwarded to me an
2and 3. a copy of each of them is annexed, for the information of Government.
6 . Prior to the receipt of these petitions two Bahrein Shiah subjects
came over to Bushire by the mail steuner which brought Sheikh 1 ama^
4 . from Lingah, bringing a petition to me (copy annexed). They aske
an interview and a reply which they c mid take back to the Bahrein
community. I interviewed them on Saturday the 12th instant, and yester ;