House of Khalifa

Al Khalifa
Country Bahrain
Parent house Bani Utbah
Titles King of Bahrain
Founded 1766[1]
Founder Khalifa bin Mohammed[2]
Current head Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

The House of Khalifa (Arabic: آل خليفة‎ Āl Khalīfah) is the royal family of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam. The current head of the family is Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who became the Emir of Bahrain in 1999 and via the National Action Charter which obtained the support of an overwhelming majority 98.4 of the people, Bahrain was declared a Kingdom and Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa the King of Bahrain in 2002.

List of monarchs of Bahrain of the Al Khalifa family

Name Years as ruler Title
Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Khalifa 1783–1796 Hakim
Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, ruling jointly with
Salman bin Ahmad Al Khalifa
Khalifah bin Sulman Al Khalifa 		1796–1843
1796–1825
1825–1834 		Hakim
Hakim
Hakim
Muhammad bin Khalifah Al Khalifa 1834–1842
1849–1868
1869-1869 		Hakim
Ali bin Khalifah Al Khalifa 1868–1869 Hakim
Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Khalifa 1869-1869 Hakim
Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa 1869–1932 Hakim
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa 1932–1942 Hakim
Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa 1942–1961 Hakim
Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa 1961–1971
1971–1999 		Hakim
Amir
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa 1999–2002
2002– 		Amir
King

Ruling Family Council

Decisions pertaining to the Al Khalifa family, as well as disputes between family members are arbitrated by the Ruling Family Council (Arabic: مجلس العائلة الحاكمة‎).[3][4][5] The council attends to internal family disputes particularly those related to appropriation of land, sale of real estate and other properties. Members of the ruling family are not allowed to refer these or other disputes to ordinary law courts.[3]

Relations between the political leadership and the rest of the "rank and file" members of the Al Khalifa ruling family have been formally managed by the council since 1932. However, on the eve of the 1973 parliamentary elections, then the Amir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa issued a decree restructuring the Ruling Family Council to become a formal organ of the state, and giving the administrative head of the council the rank of minister.[3]

The Ruling Family Council is currently chaired by King Hamad,[6] its Deputy Chairman is Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa,[7] and the Director General is Ibrahim bin Khalid bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.[8]

The King appoints the members of the board of the Ruling Family Council as recognised representatives of various kingship lines and factional alliances within the Al Khalifa family.[3]

Transcription

Al Khalifa is commonly mistranscribed al-Khalifa. The Al (آل) particle here (written with the long (madda) alif and unconnected to the following word) means house, in the sense of family or dynasty, and is not the definite article particle al-.

Cabinet Ministers

HH Shaikh Mohammad bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister

HH Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister

Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister

The Ministers and their portfolios include:

Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior

Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammad Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammad Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance

Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowment

References

  1. ↑ The year the family settled in Zubarah
  2. ↑ History of the Ruling Family of Bahrain
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Khalaf, Abdulhadi. Contentious Politics in Bahrain, From Ethnic to National and Vice Versa. The Fourth Nordic Conference on Middle Eastern Studies: The Middle East in a Globalizing World, Oslo, 13–16 August 1998. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Moran, Dominic (7 February 2007). "Sectarian tensions simmer in Bahrain". International Relations and Security Network. The trio's relationship to their primary political support base, the wider royal family, is managed by the Family Council.
  5. ↑ Radhi, Hassan Ali (2003). Judiciary and Arbitration in Bahrain: A Historical and Analytical Study. BRILL. p. 130. ISBN 978-90-411-2217-9.
  6. ↑ "HM King Hamad Chairs Ruling Family Council". Bahrain News Agency. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Royal Order No. 23 of the Year 2004 on the Appointment of the Deputy Chairman of the Ruling Family Council". Official Gazette of the Kingdom of Bahrain. 22 May 2004.
  8. ↑ "Amiri Order No. 46 of the Year 2000 on the Appointment of the Director General of the Ruling Family Council". Official Gazette of the Kingdom of Bahrain. 20 December 2000.

External links