Flag Description
Red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with
a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the
five points represent the five pillars of Islam
note: until 2002 the flag had eight white points, but this was reduced
to five to avoid confusion with the Qatari flag
Hamad bin Isa
Al Khalifa - King of Bahrain since 6th March 1999
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 28 January 1950, Riffa,
Bahrain) is the King of Bahrain (since 14 February 2002), having
previously been its Emir (from 6 March 1999). He is the son of Isa
bin Salman Al Khalifa, the previous Emir. Read
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Khalifa bin
Salman Al Khalifa - Prime Minister of Bahrain since 16th December
1971
His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 24
November 1935) has been the unelected Prime Minister of Bahrain
since 1971, hence is the longest-serving prime minister in the world.
He still retains his post, although under the 2002 Constitution
he has lost some of his power on paper, with King Hamad having the
authority to appoint and (along with the Bahraini parliament) dismiss
ministers. Khalifa is the uncle of the reigning King Hamad ibn Isa
Al Khalifa. Read
More
Bahrain
In 1783, the Sunni Al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians.
In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties
with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British
protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971.
Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing
and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking
center. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian
Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign
affairs among its larger neighbors. In addition, the Sunni-led government
has struggled to manage relations with its approximately 70% Shia-majority
population. During the mid-to-late 1990s, Shia activists mounted
a low-intensity uprising to demand that the Sunni-led government
stop systemic economic, social, and political discrimination against
Shia Bahrainis. King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa, after succeeding
his late father in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms in
part to improve relations with the Shia community. After boycotting
the country's first round of democratic elections under the newly-promulgated
constitution in 2002, Shia political societies participated in 2006
and 2010 in legislative and municipal elections and Wifaq, the largest
Shia political society, won the largest bloc of seats in the elected
lower-house of the legislature both times althugh they later resigned
amid the unrest in 2011. In early 2011, Shia discontent boiled over
into large demonstrations that resulted in a heavy-handed government
response and the resignation of 18 Wifaq legislators. The September
2011 byelection - which Wifaq boycotted - was held to fill seats
they had vacated and featured low voter turnout and victories for
progovernment candidates. The government later commissioned the
Bahrain Independent Commission (BICI) of Inquiry report to examine
its actions during the unrest of 2011.
In early 2011, Bahrain's fractious opposition sought to ride a rising
tide of popular Arab protests to petition for the redress of popular
grievances. In mid-February, a vanguard of hardline activists -
who reject the legitimacy of the Al Khalifa regime and have sometimes
instigated low-level violence - organized demonstrations in Shia
neighborhoods demanding a new constitution, release of hundreds
of Shia prisoners, and an end to discriminations in all sectors
of society. Cycles of protestor deaths, funerals, and clashes with
security forces ensued, escalating domestic tensions. The government's
offers of modest political and economic concessions went nowhere
as did the king's "national dialogue" with the opposition.
In mid-March 2011, with the backing of Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) capitals - especially Riyadh and Abu Dhabi - King HAMAD put
an end to the mass public gatherings and increasingly disruptive
demonstrations by declaring a state of emergency and authorizing
the military to take all measures to "protect the safety of
the country and its citizens." Manama also welcomed a contingent
of mostly Saudi and Emirati forces as part of a GCC deployment intended
to help Bahraini security forces maintain order. By mid-April security
forces had largely relegated demonstrations to outlying Shia neighborhoods
and villages, and negotiations between the government and opposition
reached a stalemate. Manama exacted retribution against opposition
groups and their supporters through mass firings, arrests, and sectarian
incitement. In March, the Gulf Cooperation Council pledged $20 billion
in financial aid to Bahrain and Oman over a 10-year period to assist
the two nations in their struggle with Arab protests. In June, in
an effort to salvage Bahrain's image and economy, King HAMAD lifted
the state of emergency, offered to renew talks with opposition leaders,
and formed an independent commission of experts from the legal community
to investigate abuses during the February and March protests. The
government held a byelection in September 2011 to fill 18 seats
that were vacated earlier in the year when Wifaq withdrew from the
National Source
Independence
/ Republic Days Termination of special treaty with the United Kingdom :
15 August 1971
Official languages Arabic BahrainNational
Anthem English Translation
Our Bahrain
Our King
A symbol of harmony
Its constitution is high in the place and the position
Its charter is the way of (method of) sharia, Arabism and the values
Long live the Kingdom of Bahrain
Country of nobles
Cradle of peace
Its constitution is high in the place and the position
Its charter is the way of (method of) sharia, Arabism and the values
Long live the kingdom of Bahrain Source
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