Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society,sometimes shortened to simply Al-Wefaq,was a Shi'a Bahraini political party,that operates clandestinely after being ordered by the highest court in Bahrain to be dissolved and liquidated. Although from 2006 to 2011 it was by far the single largest party in the Bahraini legislature,with 18 representatives in the 40-member Bahraini parliament,it was often outvoted by coalition blocs of opposition Sunni parties and independent MPs reflecting gerrymandering of electoral districts. On 27 February 2011,the 18 Al-Wefaq members of parliament submitted letters of resignation to protest regime violence against pro-reform Bahraini protestors.
Women face widespread discrimination within Bahraini society and the country's political institutions. Women's rights have been a cornerstone of the political reforms initiated by King Hamad. The extension of equal political rights has been accompanied by a conscious drive to promote women to positions of authority within government. However,women in Bahrain continue to face gender inequality in many areas of life.
The Council of Representatives,sometimes translated as the "Chamber of Deputies",is the name given to the lower house of the Bahraini National Assembly,the national legislative body of Bahrain.
The Consultative Council,also known as the Shura Council,is the upper house of the National Assembly,the main legislative body of Bahrain.
Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa is a lawyer and diplomat from Bahrain. As ambassador to France 1999-2004 she became Bahrain's first ever female ambassador. She is one of the first women to practice law in Bahrain,and the third ever woman to preside at the UN General Assembly.
Women candidates of the 2006 Bahrain election,which took place on the November 25,2006 were reported to have received numerous threats from Islamic salafist and other factions to prevent them taking part. In all,eighteen female candidates of various political stances and views took part after recent changes to the political system in 2001 allowed women to not only become candidates,but also gave them the right to vote.
General elections were held in Bahrain in November and December 2006 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was held on 25 November,with a second round on 2 December 2006.
Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo served as the Bahraini Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2013. She was appointed to the position by decree of Foreign Affairs Minister Khaled Ben Ahmad Al-Khalifa. Nonoo is the first Jew,and third woman,to be appointed ambassador of Bahrain. She is also the first Jewish ambassador of any Middle Eastern Arab country,and the first female Bahraini ambassador to the United States.
Bahraini Jews constitute one of the world's smallest Jewish communities,although its origins go back to late antiquity. Talmudic sources refer to ports and islands on the Persian Gulf,indicating that Jews may have already settled in this region. Arabic sources record Jews in the old capital of Bahrain,Hajar,at the time of the Islamic conquest in 630 C.E. In the 12th century,the Jewish traveler-adventurer Benjamin of Tudela mentions 500 Jews living in Qays,and 5,000 in Al-Qatîf,involved in pearl fishery. In the 19th century,there were Jewish merchants from Iraq,Persia,and India in Bahrain.
Lateefa Al Gaood is a Bahraini politician.
Bahrain,officially the Kingdom of Bahrain,is an island country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf,and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands,centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia,to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The population of Bahrain is 1,501,635 as of May 14,2023,based on elaborations of the United Nations data,of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi),and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.
Women in Bahrain are discriminated in every aspect of their life and their personal liberties are severely restricted,both by the laws of Bahrain and by Bahraini society in general. Only one-quarter of women in Bahrain hold jobs outside of the household. Bahraini Women's Day is annually celebrated on December 1.
Zainab Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is a Bahraini human rights activist,and a participant in the Bahraini uprising. She rose to prominence after posting tweets online about the protests under the name AngryArabiya as well as for protesting her father Abdulhadi al-Khawaja's detention during his hunger strike.
Fadhila Mubarak is a Bahraini democracy activist. On 18 May 2011,she became the first female activist to be convicted for a role in the Bahraini uprising,and was named a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani is a Bahraini engineer and retired lieutenant general. He is the foreign minister,having formerly been the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from 1 April 2011 to February 2020. He was the fifth GCC secretary general and the first with military background since the GCC was established.
Nancy Dinah Elly Khedouri is a Bahraini politician,businesswoman and writer. She has been a National Assembly of Bahrain member since 2010.
General elections were held in Bahrain in November and December 2018 to elect the 40 members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was on Saturday,24 November,with a second round in 31 constituencies on Saturday,1 December. A municipal poll coincided with the parliamentary vote.
Sawsan Haji Taqawi is a Bahraini politician and president of the Bahrain Badminton and Squash Federation.
Abdul Nabi Salman Ahmed Nasser is a Bahraini politician. He was sworn into the Council of Representatives on December 12,2018 to represent the Sixth District of the Northern Governorate.
Yara Salman is a Bahraini businesswoman who started her business career by taking over the running of the food franchise Burger Land from her father at 17 years old. She then went on to found several beauty,hospitality,and entertainment enterprises. She is the first person to introduce cryotherapy to Bahrain,and in 2016 was the Bahrain Businesswomen's Society's Entrepreneur of the Year.
