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Bahrain: Islands
built 630 days ago
The official religion of Bahrain is Islam; most of the people are Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, but there are ... small Jewish and Christian minorities. Most Bahrainis are Arabs, although some tribes came from Persia. Today, many of the people in Bahrain are guest workers who come from Iran, South Asia and Southeast Asia. A Financial Times article from 31 May 1983 found that "Bahrain is a polyglot (speaking many languages) state, both religiously and racially. Leaving aside the temporary immigrants of the past 10 years, there are at least eight or nine communities (groups of people) on the island".
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Bahrain is an archipelago of 33 islands, of which the island of Bahrain is the dominating one (90% of the total area). Other important islands are Umm Na'san, Muharraq, Sitra and Hawar Islands.
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Bahrain has transformed into a cosmopolitan society with mixed communities: two thirds of Bahrain's population consists of Arabs. A Large contingency of people of Iranian descent as well as immigrants and guest workers from, South Asia and Southeast Asia are present. A Financial Times published on 31 May 1983 found that "Bahrain is a polyglot state, both religiously and racially. Leaving aside the temporary immigrants of the past ten years, there are at least eight or nine communities on the island."
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Additionally, during much of the 20th century, Iran claimed sovereignty over the island of Bahrain and considered it part of its historical territory. In 1981, post-revolutionary Iran supported an attempted coup d'état in Bahrain. In 1996, Bahraini Hezbollah, linked to the Lebanese Shi'a group by the same name, tried another push against the ruling family. Even though Tehran did not play an official or direct role in the support of this group, it is likely that Tehran was indirectly involved. Regimes that have domestic Shi'a movements linked to Iran -- such as in the case of Bahrain -- know that if their foreign policies do not align with Iran's, they could face harsh domestic unrest and political troubles.
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In the late eighteenth century, the al-Khalifa family and the Al-Dawasir invaded and occupied Bahrain ending Persian control[6]. In order to secure Bahrain from returning to Iranian control, the Emirate entered into a treaty relationship with the United Kingdom and became a British protectorate. The population of the island at the time was estimated to be less than 10,000 persons.
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King Fahd Causeway links the island of Bahrain at Jasrah to the mainland of Saudi Arabia at Alaziziah. Visa requirements for non Gulf national are the same as for visitors flying into Saudi Arabia or Bahrain. The fee per car one way is BD2/-
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