boston.com Passport
By Fatema Haji-Taki
May 5, 2009
IFRANE, Morocco -- For the past five days, a group of Moroccan students and young-adult activists from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Tunisia and Algeria have been working intensely together in workshops building bridges among themselves and improving skills for creating interfaith community programs in their own countries.
From working to ease interfaith tensions in Egypt and Yemen to advancing women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, these activists are dedicated to sharing their expertise and acquiring new skills on how to effectively plan events, launch campaigns, and secure funding for their field work to promote religious and political freedom in their countries. The workshops emphasize how to translate their online activism to real-world organizing and leadership skills that participants can put to work in practical ways in their home communities.
Ironically, some participants were unable to attend because their visa applications were not approved in time, or, in the case of a prominent Baha’i activist from Egypt, it became too dangerous for her to travel. The empty seats were a stark reminder of the lack of religious and political freedom in most Arab countries.
Jesse Sage, Nasser Weddady and Lauren Murphy from Hands Across the Middle East Support Alliance, a Boston-based nonprofit, and I organized and are facilitating the conference, “Interfaith Leadership Seminar: From the Virtual to the Real World,” at Al Akhawayn University, an English-language college in Ifrane.
Jewish in the Arab world
During the conference the participants met Moroccan Raphael Elmaleh, believed to be the only Jewish tour guide in the Arab world. He is also a founder of the only Jewish museum in the Arab world in Casablanca. Elmaleh’s passion in life is to research the Jewish heritage of Morocco and restore the synagogues and other sites that were left behind by the Jews more than 40 years ago.
“I’m proud to be a Jew in an Arab country,” he says. On Sunday, all the participants had a chance to visit Fez while he showed us the old Jewish Quarter and the cemeteries and the synagogues left behind. For many, this was the first time they had been exposed to the Jewish heritage in an Arab country. By the end of the day, the bond that he created with the rest of the group was heartening.
At first, he acknowledged he was nervous talking about his work to a group of Arab young people from across the Middle East whom he had never met before. But working with the group for two days has changed his mind and he is excited to talk about how Jews and Muslims coexisted peacefully in Morocco and what that means for the future. During dinner yesterday, all of the participants gave him a standing ovation for his dedication while the Moroccan students sang the national anthem. The expression on Elmaleh’s face was invaluable.
Freedom of the press in Yemen
Unfortunately, on Monday, we also learned that an independent newspaper run by one of the Yemeni participants, Abdullah Abdulwahab Naji Qaid, was shut down by Yemeni authorities. Abdullah is a founding member and the General Activity Supervisor of the al-Tagheer Organization for Rights and Freedom Defense, an NGO based in Yemen. He has previously participated in seminars on religious freedom which addressed discrimination against Yemen's Zaidi community.
(Fatema Haji-Taki/UUSC photo)
Yemeni journalist Abdullah Abdulwahab Naji Qaid
When the news broke, the mood among all of us turned solemn. It was a grave reminder of the difficult circumstances these activists work in and the challenges ahead of them after they return home. As the night wore on, the solidarity between all of us for Qaid’s work was palpable. Many are working to organize a campaign for him while others are planning to spread the word through Facebook, their blogs and other online networks.
As a non-Arab Muslim-American human rights activist, I am humbled by the work of my peers. Through the last few days, I’ve seen them work together, debate their differences, sing and dance together. They have created a support network for each other. They are all invested in each others’ success because they all are committed to religious and political freedom in the Arab world.
What they have experienced together as a team will stay with them for the rest of their lives. As they go back, they will face obstacles and there will be times when they will want to give up. My only hope is they will remember the solidarity they experienced this past week and keep soldiering on because they are the future leaders of the Arab world.
Showing posts with label Jewish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jewish. Show all posts
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Friday, December 19, 2008
Bahrain: Barrier-Breaking Bahraini Masters Diplomatic Scene
Nonoo Is First Jewish Ambassador From an Arab Nation
By Nora Boustany
Washington Post Foreign Service
It takes charm, courage and chutzpah to master the Washington diplomatic scene, and Houda Ezra Nonoo, Bahrain's first female ambassador here and the first Jewish ambassador of an Arab country, is well on her way.
The granddaughter of Iraqi Jews who migrated to the tiny archipelago in the Persian Gulf, Nonoo came into public view in 2004 as a founding member of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society. She helped bring attention to the plight of domestic workers and other foreign laborers and worked to promote the rights of women and children.
In 2006, Nonoo was appointed to the Shura Council, the upper chamber of parliament. She replaced her brother Ibrahim, the first Jewish member of the council, who decided to devote himself to his business concerns.
Then news leaked out that King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifae had informed U.S. officials of his intention to name Nonoo as ambassador here. Bahrain's news media shot down the move to name a "Jewish ambassador" as a public relations stunt by the Sunni dynasty, which rules over a disgruntled Shiite majority in this country of about 700,000 people.
"When newspaper headlines said the government was sending a Jewish envoy to Washington, that really upset me. I was hurt because I am Bahraini. They took my religion and forgot I was Bahraini," Nonoo said, adding that her grandfather served on the 1934 municipal council, which was elected. "I think I was chosen because of my work on human rights. I was outspoken, and that is what catapulted me into this position. I never expected to be here serving my country in this capacity."
Asked about reports that some Shiites felt left out when Nonoo was appointed, her predecessor, Nasser Beloushi, said: "We don't think about it in that way -- Sunni, Shiite, Christian or Jewish. You are a Bahraini first, and you should serve your country. Bahrain is that way."
Beloushi said Nonoo's father was a well-known financier and "one of the original pillars of our banking system. He was trusted and well liked." His money exchange business grew into the Bahrain Financial Company.
"Her brother's merchant companies are highly regarded and successful," added Beloushi, who said he knows him well.
Nonoo's grandparents initially considered heading to India but settled on the sleepy, barren island surrounded by oyster beds and coral reefs. Her grandfather, Ibrahim, started out with a money exchange business, the oldest such company in Bahrain.
About 500 Jews lived in Bahrain in the early 1940s, according to Ali al-Jalawi, a Bahraini author who has written a book about the community. After the creation of Israel in 1948, attacks on the homes of Bahraini Jews triggered an exodus from Manama, the capital. But Nonoo's family stayed.
"They never thought of leaving Bahrain, because it is their country and what they know. It is hard to just get up and go. Home is where the heart is," she said, sitting in her spacious, sun-flooded office on International Drive.
Today, 36 Jews live in the country, and they are all related, Nonoo said. There is one synagogue in Manama but no rabbi. A "learned scholar" presides over special religious celebrations and funerals, and kosher meat is flown in from London. The last bris was performed 80 years ago, and the last Jewish wedding took place in 1965, she said. Such functions are now held abroad.
Nonoo said she is not strictly religious but observes the high holidays, fasts on Yom Kippur and is respectful and mindful of "basic" Jewish traditions.
"At the end of the day, I am always going to be a Bahraini. Culturally and morally, I am an Arab," she said.
When Nonoo goes on speaking tours in the United States, she is often asked the same questions: Can she go out in Bahrain? Can she walk around without a veil? Is she allowed to drive? The answer to all of the above is yes.
Born in 1964, Nonoo attended a coed school run by Italian nuns, and her classmates included Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and Bahais. They had play dates at one another's homes. "I never felt I was different," she said.
At 15, she was sent to boarding school in England, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in accounting from City of London Polytechnic. She also received an MBA from the International University of Europe in Waterford.
When she presented her credentials to President Bush this summer, Nonoo said she was nervous and slightly apprehensive, but "the door opened and he made me feel just like a friend."
Soon after her arrival, Nonoo attended the Meridian Ball, one of the glitziest events of the year, where diplomats, officials and A-listers get together for dessert, champagne and dancing after embassy dinners. "Everyone wanted to meet me. I had just arrived and I was overwhelmed," she admitted.
But Omani Ambassador Hunaina Sultan Ahmed al-Mughairy, another woman representing an Arab Gulf country, took Nonoo under her wing, she said with gratitude.
The demands of accompanying her country's foreign minister to appointments in New York on Tuesday morning did not prevent Nonoo from hosting her first big reception in Washington that afternoon.
Radiant and exuding a natural liveliness, Nonoo greeted well-wishers to an event at the Ritz-Carlton marking Bahrain's National Day. Understated yet chic in pumps, a tapered black lace dress and a short red satin jacket, she stood next to her husband, a British citizen of Iranian descent, and her defense attache. An oud player in traditional Gulf robes strummed lilting melodies in the background.
In Washington, Nonoo lives in a two-bedroom apartment but is contemplating revamping the embassy's old residence. Her husband, now visiting their sons, ages 16 and 17, helps run Gulf Computer Services in Bahrain, a family business. They often meet in London, where her older son studies.
"She is a breath of fresh air," noted Ina Ginsberg, a Washington member of the American-Bahrain Friendship Council. "She adds a new voice to the conversation. It takes guts for any woman to come here as ambassador, but she is going to be a trailblazer."
Arab League Ambassador Hussein Hassouna, who recently joined Nonoo on a speaking engagement at Harvard University, said he was taken by her intelligence and warmth. "She is a great addition. Arab countries do well to send women and envoys from minority communities."
By Nora Boustany
Washington Post Foreign Service
It takes charm, courage and chutzpah to master the Washington diplomatic scene, and Houda Ezra Nonoo, Bahrain's first female ambassador here and the first Jewish ambassador of an Arab country, is well on her way.
The granddaughter of Iraqi Jews who migrated to the tiny archipelago in the Persian Gulf, Nonoo came into public view in 2004 as a founding member of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society. She helped bring attention to the plight of domestic workers and other foreign laborers and worked to promote the rights of women and children.
In 2006, Nonoo was appointed to the Shura Council, the upper chamber of parliament. She replaced her brother Ibrahim, the first Jewish member of the council, who decided to devote himself to his business concerns.
Then news leaked out that King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifae had informed U.S. officials of his intention to name Nonoo as ambassador here. Bahrain's news media shot down the move to name a "Jewish ambassador" as a public relations stunt by the Sunni dynasty, which rules over a disgruntled Shiite majority in this country of about 700,000 people.
"When newspaper headlines said the government was sending a Jewish envoy to Washington, that really upset me. I was hurt because I am Bahraini. They took my religion and forgot I was Bahraini," Nonoo said, adding that her grandfather served on the 1934 municipal council, which was elected. "I think I was chosen because of my work on human rights. I was outspoken, and that is what catapulted me into this position. I never expected to be here serving my country in this capacity."
Asked about reports that some Shiites felt left out when Nonoo was appointed, her predecessor, Nasser Beloushi, said: "We don't think about it in that way -- Sunni, Shiite, Christian or Jewish. You are a Bahraini first, and you should serve your country. Bahrain is that way."
Beloushi said Nonoo's father was a well-known financier and "one of the original pillars of our banking system. He was trusted and well liked." His money exchange business grew into the Bahrain Financial Company.
"Her brother's merchant companies are highly regarded and successful," added Beloushi, who said he knows him well.
Nonoo's grandparents initially considered heading to India but settled on the sleepy, barren island surrounded by oyster beds and coral reefs. Her grandfather, Ibrahim, started out with a money exchange business, the oldest such company in Bahrain.
About 500 Jews lived in Bahrain in the early 1940s, according to Ali al-Jalawi, a Bahraini author who has written a book about the community. After the creation of Israel in 1948, attacks on the homes of Bahraini Jews triggered an exodus from Manama, the capital. But Nonoo's family stayed.
"They never thought of leaving Bahrain, because it is their country and what they know. It is hard to just get up and go. Home is where the heart is," she said, sitting in her spacious, sun-flooded office on International Drive.
Today, 36 Jews live in the country, and they are all related, Nonoo said. There is one synagogue in Manama but no rabbi. A "learned scholar" presides over special religious celebrations and funerals, and kosher meat is flown in from London. The last bris was performed 80 years ago, and the last Jewish wedding took place in 1965, she said. Such functions are now held abroad.
Nonoo said she is not strictly religious but observes the high holidays, fasts on Yom Kippur and is respectful and mindful of "basic" Jewish traditions.
"At the end of the day, I am always going to be a Bahraini. Culturally and morally, I am an Arab," she said.
When Nonoo goes on speaking tours in the United States, she is often asked the same questions: Can she go out in Bahrain? Can she walk around without a veil? Is she allowed to drive? The answer to all of the above is yes.
Born in 1964, Nonoo attended a coed school run by Italian nuns, and her classmates included Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and Bahais. They had play dates at one another's homes. "I never felt I was different," she said.
At 15, she was sent to boarding school in England, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in accounting from City of London Polytechnic. She also received an MBA from the International University of Europe in Waterford.
When she presented her credentials to President Bush this summer, Nonoo said she was nervous and slightly apprehensive, but "the door opened and he made me feel just like a friend."
Soon after her arrival, Nonoo attended the Meridian Ball, one of the glitziest events of the year, where diplomats, officials and A-listers get together for dessert, champagne and dancing after embassy dinners. "Everyone wanted to meet me. I had just arrived and I was overwhelmed," she admitted.
But Omani Ambassador Hunaina Sultan Ahmed al-Mughairy, another woman representing an Arab Gulf country, took Nonoo under her wing, she said with gratitude.
The demands of accompanying her country's foreign minister to appointments in New York on Tuesday morning did not prevent Nonoo from hosting her first big reception in Washington that afternoon.
Radiant and exuding a natural liveliness, Nonoo greeted well-wishers to an event at the Ritz-Carlton marking Bahrain's National Day. Understated yet chic in pumps, a tapered black lace dress and a short red satin jacket, she stood next to her husband, a British citizen of Iranian descent, and her defense attache. An oud player in traditional Gulf robes strummed lilting melodies in the background.
In Washington, Nonoo lives in a two-bedroom apartment but is contemplating revamping the embassy's old residence. Her husband, now visiting their sons, ages 16 and 17, helps run Gulf Computer Services in Bahrain, a family business. They often meet in London, where her older son studies.
"She is a breath of fresh air," noted Ina Ginsberg, a Washington member of the American-Bahrain Friendship Council. "She adds a new voice to the conversation. It takes guts for any woman to come here as ambassador, but she is going to be a trailblazer."
Arab League Ambassador Hussein Hassouna, who recently joined Nonoo on a speaking engagement at Harvard University, said he was taken by her intelligence and warmth. "She is a great addition. Arab countries do well to send women and envoys from minority communities."
Friday, June 13, 2008
Bahrain: Huda - a reflection of Bahrain's tolerant culture
Her face is an arresting image in determination and aspiration these days in Bahrain. It is a soft but determined look primed to prove that the alleged clash between cultures does not really exist and that the war of religious ideas is merely a myth.
Huda Ezra Nonoo, the woman tipped to be her country's next ambassador to Washington and to become the first Jewish envoy of an Arab state to the US, is on a mission to offset the concept that Jews in Arab countries are less patriotic and dedicated to their country's ideals than their fellow nationals.
Huda, a mother of two teenage boys, is undoubtedly Bahrain's most featured face in the media today, and even long after the fanfare about her nomination as her country's top diplomat in Washington subdues, she will always be recalled for making history. Again.
Because Huda is not a history-making novice.
In 2004, she became the first minority woman to head a human rights society and in 2006 she was the first Jewish female lawmaker to sit in the upper house. Two positions that shed the spotlight on the quiet woman born 43 years ago to a Bahraini family devoted to business and financial activities. She herself was destined to perpetuate the family tradition after she studied business in Britain and opened a shop in one of Manama's busiest avenues selling computers and computer accessories.
But now her inexorably stratospheric public ascent since 2004 seems to have put her business vocation on hold in favour of diplomacy.
The perspective fascinates her.
Only two women in Bahrain have had the outstanding distinction of heading diplomatic missions, Shaikha Haya Bint Rashid Al Khalifa in France and Bibi Al Alawi currently in China. No Jew or Christian was ever appointed as ambassador, although a Christian woman, Alice Samaan, is one of the two vice presidents of the upper house in the bicameral parliament.
Around 40 Jews today live in Bahrain. Decades ago, there were hundreds of them but many emigrated for various reasons.
"There was a Jewish community in Bahrain of between 300 and 400 persons who lived in Manama ... They were quiet, law-abiding, timorous people...," wrote Charles Belgrave, the British advisor to the rulers of Bahrain from 1926 until 1957, in his book Personal Column.
One of the first Jews to settle in Bahrain was Saleh Eliyahou Yadgar, coming from Basra in the late 1880s. "He began as a tobacconist and later sold flour. He then started dealing with second-hand clothes and also commenced in the material trade supplied from abroad, mainly dealing in the sale of abayas, the long black dress covering worn by Gulf women," writes Nancy Elly Khedouri, a Bahraini Jew in her book From Our Beginning to Present Day.
He and the other Baghdadi Jews who arrived in Bahrain in the early 1990s settled in with ease and some of them became involved in political life.
"Issac Sweiry, Meir Dahoud Rouben and Abraham Nonoo, were members of the Manama Municipality. The membership did not bring about any hatred or problems," Nancy writes.
The Nonoo family history in Bahrain began with Abraham Nonoo "who left Iraq at the age of nine or ten with his uncle and came to Manama". Abraham was elected in 1934 as member of the Manama Municipality. His grandson, also Abraham, was the first Jew to be appointed to the Shura (Upper) Council in 2002 and served until 2006. The post was later assigned to his cousin, Huda Ezra Nonoo. It heralded a new chapter in her life.
Now, her historic designation as the head of the diplomatic mission in Washington is seen by most Bahrainis as a reflection of the country's tolerance towards Jews and Christians and a celebration of its kaleidoscopic blend of communities. Many also celebrate it as a new recognition of the elevated status of women in a conservative region.
Bahrainis, both common people and officials, say that Huda, who was educated at Carmel College, Oxfordshire, was selected based on her merit as a citizen and regardless of her religious beliefs. Their views are reinforced by the Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa. "She is a Bahraini citizen whose forefathers are also Bahrainis," he says.
For the minister, an eternal romantic and savvy diplomat, the fact that Bahrain had only 37 Jews out of a total native population of 530,000 and that most of them were engaged in business and financial activities did not mean that they should be overlooked for diplomatic posts.
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief, Gulf News
Huda Ezra Nonoo, the woman tipped to be her country's next ambassador to Washington and to become the first Jewish envoy of an Arab state to the US, is on a mission to offset the concept that Jews in Arab countries are less patriotic and dedicated to their country's ideals than their fellow nationals.
Huda, a mother of two teenage boys, is undoubtedly Bahrain's most featured face in the media today, and even long after the fanfare about her nomination as her country's top diplomat in Washington subdues, she will always be recalled for making history. Again.
Because Huda is not a history-making novice.
In 2004, she became the first minority woman to head a human rights society and in 2006 she was the first Jewish female lawmaker to sit in the upper house. Two positions that shed the spotlight on the quiet woman born 43 years ago to a Bahraini family devoted to business and financial activities. She herself was destined to perpetuate the family tradition after she studied business in Britain and opened a shop in one of Manama's busiest avenues selling computers and computer accessories.
But now her inexorably stratospheric public ascent since 2004 seems to have put her business vocation on hold in favour of diplomacy.
The perspective fascinates her.
Only two women in Bahrain have had the outstanding distinction of heading diplomatic missions, Shaikha Haya Bint Rashid Al Khalifa in France and Bibi Al Alawi currently in China. No Jew or Christian was ever appointed as ambassador, although a Christian woman, Alice Samaan, is one of the two vice presidents of the upper house in the bicameral parliament.
Around 40 Jews today live in Bahrain. Decades ago, there were hundreds of them but many emigrated for various reasons.
"There was a Jewish community in Bahrain of between 300 and 400 persons who lived in Manama ... They were quiet, law-abiding, timorous people...," wrote Charles Belgrave, the British advisor to the rulers of Bahrain from 1926 until 1957, in his book Personal Column.
One of the first Jews to settle in Bahrain was Saleh Eliyahou Yadgar, coming from Basra in the late 1880s. "He began as a tobacconist and later sold flour. He then started dealing with second-hand clothes and also commenced in the material trade supplied from abroad, mainly dealing in the sale of abayas, the long black dress covering worn by Gulf women," writes Nancy Elly Khedouri, a Bahraini Jew in her book From Our Beginning to Present Day.
He and the other Baghdadi Jews who arrived in Bahrain in the early 1990s settled in with ease and some of them became involved in political life.
"Issac Sweiry, Meir Dahoud Rouben and Abraham Nonoo, were members of the Manama Municipality. The membership did not bring about any hatred or problems," Nancy writes.
The Nonoo family history in Bahrain began with Abraham Nonoo "who left Iraq at the age of nine or ten with his uncle and came to Manama". Abraham was elected in 1934 as member of the Manama Municipality. His grandson, also Abraham, was the first Jew to be appointed to the Shura (Upper) Council in 2002 and served until 2006. The post was later assigned to his cousin, Huda Ezra Nonoo. It heralded a new chapter in her life.
Now, her historic designation as the head of the diplomatic mission in Washington is seen by most Bahrainis as a reflection of the country's tolerance towards Jews and Christians and a celebration of its kaleidoscopic blend of communities. Many also celebrate it as a new recognition of the elevated status of women in a conservative region.
Bahrainis, both common people and officials, say that Huda, who was educated at Carmel College, Oxfordshire, was selected based on her merit as a citizen and regardless of her religious beliefs. Their views are reinforced by the Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa. "She is a Bahraini citizen whose forefathers are also Bahrainis," he says.
For the minister, an eternal romantic and savvy diplomat, the fact that Bahrain had only 37 Jews out of a total native population of 530,000 and that most of them were engaged in business and financial activities did not mean that they should be overlooked for diplomatic posts.
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief, Gulf News
Monday, June 9, 2008
Bahrain: Jewish woman confirmed as US ambassador
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa on Sunday confirmed and defended his government's plans to appoint a Jewish woman, Huda Nunu, as ambassador to the US. "Nunu was chosen because she is a Bahraini like her father," the minister said, as quoted by the state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA). He confirmed that his government had informed Washington of its intention to appoint Nunu to the post and was awaiting its response before naming her officially.
At the end of May a senior Bahraini official told newswire AFP, on condition of anonymity, that Nunu was to be named ambassador to Washington and stressed the move - the first for an Arab country - was "not a public relations exercise". He said King Hamad had informed US officials during a visit to Washington in March of Bahrain's intention to appoint Nunu. The Jewish population in Bahrain amounts to no more than 37 among a total of around 530,000 people.
"This move is not propaganda," the official had added. "It reflects a climate of tolerance towards minorities in Bahrain," which is ruled by a Sunni dynasty and has a disgruntled Shi'ite majority.
Nunu was appointed to the Shura (consultative) Council - the upper chamber of parliament in 2006. Bahrain is the only Arab Gulf country to have a Jewish community. Their numbers are believed to have been higher at the turn of the 20th century, but dwindled following the creation of Israel in 1948.
Nunu's grandfather, Ibrahim Nunu, represented the Jewish community in Bahrain's municipal council formed by the British authorities in 1919. The council had representatives of all religious and ethnic communities that were present in the then British protectorate. Nunu will be the third Bahraini woman to be appointed as an ambassador. Sheikha Haya Al-Khalifa was the country's ambassador to France, while Shi'ite Bibi Alawi was appointed a few months ago as envoy to China.
-- AFP
At the end of May a senior Bahraini official told newswire AFP, on condition of anonymity, that Nunu was to be named ambassador to Washington and stressed the move - the first for an Arab country - was "not a public relations exercise". He said King Hamad had informed US officials during a visit to Washington in March of Bahrain's intention to appoint Nunu. The Jewish population in Bahrain amounts to no more than 37 among a total of around 530,000 people.
"This move is not propaganda," the official had added. "It reflects a climate of tolerance towards minorities in Bahrain," which is ruled by a Sunni dynasty and has a disgruntled Shi'ite majority.
Nunu was appointed to the Shura (consultative) Council - the upper chamber of parliament in 2006. Bahrain is the only Arab Gulf country to have a Jewish community. Their numbers are believed to have been higher at the turn of the 20th century, but dwindled following the creation of Israel in 1948.
Nunu's grandfather, Ibrahim Nunu, represented the Jewish community in Bahrain's municipal council formed by the British authorities in 1919. The council had representatives of all religious and ethnic communities that were present in the then British protectorate. Nunu will be the third Bahraini woman to be appointed as an ambassador. Sheikha Haya Al-Khalifa was the country's ambassador to France, while Shi'ite Bibi Alawi was appointed a few months ago as envoy to China.
-- AFP
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Bahrain: New Jewish ambassador not propaganda
Bahrain's anticipated appointment of a Jewish woman as ambassador to the United States -- the first for an Arab country -- is not a public relations stunt, a senior official said on Saturday.
"This is not a public relations move," the official told AFP, referring to the expected naming soon of Huda Nunu as the Gulf kingdom's ambassador to Washington.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said King Hamad informed US officials during a visit to Washington in March of Bahrain's intention to name Nunu.
The Jewish population amounts to no more than 37 among a total of around 530,000 people.
"This move is not propaganda. It reflects a climate of tolerance towards minorities in Bahrain," which is ruled by a Sunni dynasty and has a disgruntled Shiite majority.
Nunu will be the third Bahraini woman to be appointed as an ambassador. Sheikha Haya al-Khalifa was the country's ambassador to France, while Shiite Bibi Alawi was appointed a few months ago as envoy to China.
Until she assumes her new position, Nunu will continue serving in the appointed Shura (consultative) Council -- the upper chamber of parliament. In 2006, she replaced her brother Ibrahim, the first Jewish member of the council.
Bahrain is the only Arab Gulf country to have a Jewish community. Their numbers are believed to have been higher at the turn of the 20th century, but dwindled following the creation of Israel in 1948.
"The number of Jews increased from around 50 people in 1905 to 500 in the 1940s ... This was a golden period for Bahraini Jews," said Ali al-Jalawi, a Bahraini writer who authored a book on the Jewish minority.
Nunu's grandfather, Ibrahim Nunu, represented the Jewish community in Bahrain's municipal council formed by the British authorities in 1919. The council had representatives of all religious and ethnic communities that were present in the then British protectorate.
The first wave of Jewish migration from Bahrain came after the creation of Israel following reactionary attacks on houses of some Jews and their synagogue in Manama, Jalawi told AFP.
Another batch left Bahrain after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
The only synagogue in Bahrain, which is located in the Old Quarter of Manama and had been deserted since 1948, has recently been renovated, he said.
"Nunu's appointment stresses the seriousness of Bahrain's reform policies ... It shows that Bahrain does not differentiate between men and women in public offices and does not discriminate against citizens on the bases of their beliefs," the official said.
Nunu heads a human rights watchdog in Bahrain, where political parties remain banned, although political associations operate as de facto parties.
Her forthcoming office assumes extra importance as Bahrain is a key US ally in the region, and is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. It also has a free trade agreement with Washington.
-- Agence France-Presse
"This is not a public relations move," the official told AFP, referring to the expected naming soon of Huda Nunu as the Gulf kingdom's ambassador to Washington.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said King Hamad informed US officials during a visit to Washington in March of Bahrain's intention to name Nunu.
The Jewish population amounts to no more than 37 among a total of around 530,000 people.
"This move is not propaganda. It reflects a climate of tolerance towards minorities in Bahrain," which is ruled by a Sunni dynasty and has a disgruntled Shiite majority.
Nunu will be the third Bahraini woman to be appointed as an ambassador. Sheikha Haya al-Khalifa was the country's ambassador to France, while Shiite Bibi Alawi was appointed a few months ago as envoy to China.
Until she assumes her new position, Nunu will continue serving in the appointed Shura (consultative) Council -- the upper chamber of parliament. In 2006, she replaced her brother Ibrahim, the first Jewish member of the council.
Bahrain is the only Arab Gulf country to have a Jewish community. Their numbers are believed to have been higher at the turn of the 20th century, but dwindled following the creation of Israel in 1948.
"The number of Jews increased from around 50 people in 1905 to 500 in the 1940s ... This was a golden period for Bahraini Jews," said Ali al-Jalawi, a Bahraini writer who authored a book on the Jewish minority.
Nunu's grandfather, Ibrahim Nunu, represented the Jewish community in Bahrain's municipal council formed by the British authorities in 1919. The council had representatives of all religious and ethnic communities that were present in the then British protectorate.
The first wave of Jewish migration from Bahrain came after the creation of Israel following reactionary attacks on houses of some Jews and their synagogue in Manama, Jalawi told AFP.
Another batch left Bahrain after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
The only synagogue in Bahrain, which is located in the Old Quarter of Manama and had been deserted since 1948, has recently been renovated, he said.
"Nunu's appointment stresses the seriousness of Bahrain's reform policies ... It shows that Bahrain does not differentiate between men and women in public offices and does not discriminate against citizens on the bases of their beliefs," the official said.
Nunu heads a human rights watchdog in Bahrain, where political parties remain banned, although political associations operate as de facto parties.
Her forthcoming office assumes extra importance as Bahrain is a key US ally in the region, and is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. It also has a free trade agreement with Washington.
-- Agence France-Presse
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