Asian & Middle Eastern Monarchs & Strongmen Codexery

Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa

Emir of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999

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Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa became the emir of Bahrain after his father's death in November 1961 and was installed on 16 December.[1] On 6 March 1999, following discussions with U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen, Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa suffered a fatal heart attack at Manama's Government House.[2][3]

Life and work

Isa was born in Jasra to Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Mouza bint Hamad Al Khalifa.[1] He succeeded his father as emir upon his death in November 1961.[1] During his reign, Bahrain gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1971.[4] Isa visited Ayetollah Mohsin Al Hakim in Najaf in 1968 to reinforce relationships with the Shia.[5]

Because Isa was unhappy with the draft constitution, he chose for Bahrain to not become part of the United Arab Emirates.[4] In 1973, men were allowed to vote in parliamentary elections as part of Isa's effort to establish a limited democratic system.[6] During August 1975, Isa ended the parliament's session after it declined to approve the 1974 State Security Law proposed by the government.[6] Even with occasional demonstrations, the parliamentary system did not return while Isa was alive.[6]

Isa and his sibling Khalifa bin Salman had a division of duties: the Emir handled diplomacy and ceremonies, while Khalifa, as Prime Minister, ran the government and economy.[7] Isa helped establish the Dar Al Maal Al Islami Trust, an organization started in 1981.[8]

What the cited sources add

The BBC report states that Isa was the ninth ruler of Bahrain from the al-Khalifa family.[3] The same source notes that his elder brother Khalifa ibn Salman was Prime Minister and his son Ali ibn al-Khalifa was Minister of Transport.[3] The BBC also reports that Interior Minister Mohammed ibn al-Khalifa was a direct cousin of both the prime minister and the late emir.[3]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bernard Reich, "Political leaders of the contemporary Middle East and North Africa: a biographical dictionary", Greenwood Publishing Group, 1990, p. 528; "Chronology for Shi'is in Bahrain", UNHCR, 2004 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bahrain's ninth al Khalifa", BBC, 6 March 1999; Jehl, "Sheik Isa, 65, Emir of Bahrain Who Built Non-Oil Economy", The New York Times, 7 March 1999 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Bahrain's ninth al Khalifa", BBC, 6 March 1999. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
  4. Wikipedia, "Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jehl, "Sheik Isa, 65, Emir of Bahrain Who Built Non-Oil Economy", The New York Times, 7 March 1999 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Al Jimri, "Shia and the State in Bahrain", Alternative Politics, November 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wright, "Generational change", Durham Middle East Papers, June 2006; "Democratic test ended", Spokane Daily Chronicle, 28 August 1975 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wright, "Fixing the Kingdom: Political Evolution and Socio-Economic Challenges in Bahrain", CIRS, 2008; Wright, "Fixing the Kingdom: Political Evolution and Socio-Economic Challenges in Bahrain", CIRS, 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud, "Global Leaders in Islamic Finance: Industry Milestones and Reflections", Wiley, 2014, p. 56 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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