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Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

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Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Family name hatnote Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox royalty Template:Infobox royal styles Template:Bahraini royal family Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al KhalifaTemplate:Efn (born 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 1999. He is a member of the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty.

Early life and educationEdit

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on 28 January 1950 in Riffa, Bahrain.<ref name="Embassy"/> His parents were Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, then Crown Prince, and Hessa bint Salman Al Khalifa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After attending Manama secondary school in Bahrain, Hamad was sent to England to attend Applegarth College in Godalming, Surrey before taking a place at The Leys School in Cambridge. Hamad then underwent military training, first with the British Army at Mons Officer Cadet School at Aldershot in Hampshire, graduating in September 1968.<ref name="Embassy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Four years later, in June 1972, Hamad attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, graduating the following June with a degree in leadership.<ref name="Government">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Crown princeEdit

Hamad was designated as heir apparent by his father on 27 June 1964. In 1968, he was appointed as the chairman of the irrigation council and Manama municipal council. He was commissioned into the Bahrain National Guard on 16 February 1968 and appointed as its commander the same year, remaining in that post until 1969 when he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Bahrain Defence Force. In 1970, Hamad became the head of the Bahraini department of defence and the vice-chairman of the administrative council, remaining in both offices until 1971. From 1971 to 1988 he was the minister of state for defence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In October 1977, Sheikh Hamad started learning to fly helicopters, successfully completing the training in January 1978.<ref name=mofa1/>

He then worked to establish the Bahrain Amiri Air Force,<ref name="Government"/> which came into being at the height of the Tanker War in 1987 when the defence force air wing was reconstituted as an air force.<ref name=mofa1>Template:Cite news</ref>

ReignEdit

Template:FurtherOn the death of his father Isa, Hamad became Emir of Bahrain on 6 March 1999.<ref name="BBC">Template:Cite news</ref> As Emir, Hamad brought several political reforms to Bahrain. These included the release of all political prisoners, the dissolution of the State Security Court and the abolition of the 1974 Decree on State Security Measures. Additionally, many Bahraini citizens were permitted to return after several years in exile overseas.<ref name="AI_Bahr_promising">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2002, he declared himself king. He enjoys wide executive authorities which include appointing the prime minister and his ministers, commanding the army, chairing the Higher Judicial Council, appointing the parliament's upper half and dissolving its elected lower half.<ref name="Fr 15.2.2011"/>Template:Rp

Political turmoilEdit

After Hamad took power in 1999, he focused on attaining stability in a nation riddled with profound tensions after the 1990s uprising. The King succeeded in improving the living standards and in making Bahrain a financial hub. During the period 2003–2010 the Shi'ite community accused his government of corruption, discrimination in housing and jobs, recruiting foreigners to the military services and bringing Sunni tribes from Asia to change the demographic composition of the nation.Template:Citation needed

Although King Hamad's reign has seen the admittance of Shi'ites into positions in the government, there have still been calls for a more equitable distribution of positions and jobs. The Al Khalifa family lead a large number of ministerial and governmental posts including the Ministry of the Interior,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ministry of Justice,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Ministry of Finance,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Ministry of Culture,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Bahrain Economic Development Board<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the Supreme Council for Women.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The vast majority of significant positions in the Bahrain Defence Force are held by Sunnis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2011 Bahraini uprisingEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} On 11 February 2011, King Hamad ordered that 1,000 Bahraini Dinars (approximately US$2,667) be given to "each family" to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the National Action Charter referendum. Agence France-Presse linked the BD1,000 payments to 14 February 2011 demonstration plans.<ref name="Fr 11.2.2011">Template:Cite news</ref>

On 14 February 2011, the ninth anniversary of the writing of the Constitution of 2002, Bahrain was rocked by protests inspired by the Arab Spring and co-ordinated by a Facebook page named "Day of Rage in Bahrain", a page that was liked by tens of thousands just one week after its creation. The Bahrain government responded with what has been described as a "brutal" crackdown<ref name="BBC News">Law, Bill (6 April 2011) "Police Brutality Turns Bahrain Into 'Island of Fear' Crossing Continents (via BBC News) Retrieved 15 April 2011</ref><ref>Press release (30 March 2011) "USA Emphatic Support to Saudi Arabia" Zayd Alisa (via Scoop) Retrieved 15 April 2011</ref><ref>Cockburn, Patrick (18 March 2011) "The Footage That Reveals the Brutal Truth About Bahrain's Crackdown – Seven Protest Leaders Arrested as Video Clip Highlights Regime's Ruthless Grip on Power" The Independent Retrieved 15 April 2011</ref> on the protests, including violations of human rights that caused anger. Later on, demonstrators demanded that Hamad step down.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As a result of this "massive" crackdown, Foreign Policy Magazine classified him as ranking 3rd out of 8 of "America's Unsavory Allies" calling him "one of the bad guys the U.S. still supports".<ref name="FP 28.10.2011">Template:Cite news</ref>

On 15 February 2011, Hamad apologized for the deaths of two demonstrators in a rare TV speech and urged an investigation into the incident.<ref name="Fr 15.2.2011">Template:Cite news</ref> Two days later, four protesters were killed and hundreds wounded when protesters were attacked in Pearl Roundabout at 03:00 am local time. The Pearl Roundabout was evacuated and encircled by the Bahraini army. Two days later, Prince Salman, Hamad's son, ordered the withdrawal of army troops from there after the death of another protester caused by live ammunition next to Pearl roundabout.Template:Citation needed As protests intensified toward the end of the month,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> King Hamad was forced to offer concessions in the form of the release of political prisoners<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the dismissal of three government ministers.<ref name="26feb">Template:Cite news</ref>

During the peak of the Bahraini uprising in mid March 2011, Hamad declared a State of National Safety for three months just after Salman summoned Peninsula Shield Force troops to enter Bahrain. Saudi Arabia deployed about 1,000 troops with armoured support, and the United Arab Emirates deployed about 500 troops. Opposition parties reacted strongly, calling it an "occupation". Hamad, however, claimed that he deployed the troops to "protect infrastructure and to secure key installations".<ref name="BBC 15.3.2011">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="al-jazeera">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In June 2011, Hamad commissioned the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, headed by respected human rights lawyer M. Cherif Bassiouni, to look into the events surrounding the unrest. The establishment of the BICI was praised by Barack Obama and the international community<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as a step towards establishing responsibility and accountability for the events of the 2011–2012 Bahraini uprising. The BICI reported its findings in November 2011 and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "commend[ed] King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa's initiative in commissioning it".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2012, Amnesty International stated that "the government's response has only scratched the surface of these issues. Reforms have been piecemeal, perhaps aiming to appease Bahrain's international partners, and have failed to provide real accountability and justice for the victims".<ref name="AI 21.8.2012">"Urgent action: Bahraini activist sentenced to three years" Amnesty International 21 August 2012 Retrieved 22 August 2012</ref>

Foreign relationsEdit

The king was invited by the British court to the wedding of Prince William, but declined amidst protests by human rights activists, who had pledged to disrupt his stay in Britain because of his violent response to demonstrators.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 18 September 2022, he met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, London, to express condolences ahead of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

File:Isaac Herzog state visit to Bahrain, December 2022 (ABG4).jpeg
Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a state visit to Bahrain with King Hamad, December 2022

In August 2020, King Hamad explained to visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Bahrain was committed to the creation of a Palestinian state, implicitly rejecting the normalization of ties with Israel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, on 11 September 2020, it was announced that Bahrain and Israel had agreed to establish full diplomatic relations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 15 September 2020, Bahrain officially opened state to state relations with Israel, signing diplomatic agreements at a public ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 2 November 2023, Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Israel, seemingly in response to the Gaza war.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Hamad has four wives and has had in total twelve children: seven sons and five daughters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

  • He married his first wife (also his first cousin), Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, at Rifa'a on 9 October 1968. She is Bahraini and together they have three sons and one daughter:
  • His second wife, Sheikha Sheia bint Hassan Al Khrayyesh Al Ajmi is from Kuwait. Together they have two sons:
  • His third wife, Sheikha Hessa bint Faisal bin Muhammad bin Shuraim Al Marri, with whom he has one son and two daughters:
    • Sheikha Munira bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 15 July 1990)
    • Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad Al Khalifa (12 February 1991 – 12 January 2006), died in a car accident.
    • Sheikha Noura bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 6 November 1993)
  • His fourth wife, Sheikha Manal bint Jabor Al Naimi, with whom he has one son and two daughters:
    • Sheikh Sultan bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1997)
    • Sheikha Hessa bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2000)
    • Sheikha Rima bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2002)

Honours and awardsEdit

King Hamad has received numerous honours from:

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AncestryEdit

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See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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NotesEdit

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External linksEdit

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|CitationClass=web }} (227 KB), Abdulhadi Khalaf, Fourth Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting, European University Institute, March 2003

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