''Sawt al-Bahrain'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: ''The Voice of Bahrain'') was a monthly political magazine published in Manama, Bahrain, between 1950 and 1954. It was the first independent publication by the Bahraini intellectuals. The magazine laid the basis for the High Executive Committee (Arabic: al-Hay'a al-Tanfidhiyya al-Uliya) which was a cross-sectarian nationalist political movement in Bahrain founded in 1955 and inspired other publications including ''Al Isha'' which was a cultural journal.

History and profile

''Sawt al-Bahrain'' was launched by the progressive Arab nationalist intellectuals in 1950. The idea to start a publication first emerged in 1949 during a meeting of the political activists led by Abdul Rahman Al Bakir. The headquarters of ''Sawt al-Bahrain'' was in Manama, and it was published on a monthly basis. The magazine was circulated in the Gulf countries and read by people with progressive ideas in distinct places, including Gulf cities, Riyadh, Mecca, Medina, Cairo, Iraq, the Levant, Yemen, Tunis,

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

, Karachi and London.

Editors

In order to avoid government pressure James Belgrave who was the son of the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

's advisor

Charles Belgrave Sir Charles Dalrymple Belgrave KBE (9 December 1894 – 28 February 1969) was a British citizen and advisor to the rulers of Bahrain from 1926 until 1957, as "Chief Administrator" or "adviserate". He first served under Shaikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Kha ...

was appointed to the magazine to manage the advertisement and distribution. With the same concerns Ibrahim Hasan Kamal who was the secretary to the Bahraini minister of education was made the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

. Bahraini veteran journalist Ali Sayyar started his journalism career in the magazine's first issue. One of the regular contributors was a

Saudi Arabian Saudis ( ar, سعوديون, Suʿūdiyyūn) are people identified with the country of Saudi Arabia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. The Saudis are composed mainly of Arabs and primarily speak a regional dialect ...

leftist activist from

Qatif Qatif or Al-Qatif ( ar, ٱلْقَطِيف ''Al-Qaṭīf'') is a governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south, and from the Persian Gulf in the ...

, Abdul Rasul Al Jishi. Another Saudi Arabian contributor was Mohammad Said Al Muslim. ''Sawt al-Bahrain'' had also women contributors. Although contributions from

Bahraini women 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 ho ...

were very limited, leading Arab female writers such as Lebanese Rose Gharib and Palestinian poet

Fadwa Tuqan Fadwa Tuqan ( ar, فدوى طوقان, also transliterated as ''Fadwa Tuqan'', es, Fadwa Tuqan, french: Fadwa Touquan and Fadwa Tuqan; 1917 – 12 December 2003), was a Palestinian poet known for her representations of resistance to Israeli occu ...

frequently contributed to the magazine. Charles Belgrave also contributed to ''Sawt al-Bahrain'' in which he used the term Arabian gulf instead of other alternatives being "the first Westerner to use t"

Content and political stance

''Sawt al-Bahrain'' attempted to create a modernist, Arab, Islamic and anti-colonial agenda through the exchange of ideas amongst the progressive intellectuals in the region. The magazine featured articles on social justice, economic equality and anti-colonialism as well as political events in the region such as

labour strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the In ...

s at the Saudi Aramco in the early 1950s. It supported the unity based on nationalism and aimed to narrow the gap between the two sects, Sunni Muslims and

Shia Muslims Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

in the country. The editors of the magazine harshly criticized the

Bahrain Petroleum Company The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) is an integrated national oil company of Bahrain. History The BAPCO was established in 1929 in Canada by Standard Oil Company of California for oil exploration activities in Bahrain. It took over Bahra ...

(BAPCO) which was run by foreigners calling it ''Tyrannical BAPCO'', ''a small state'', and ''the colonialist company''. The monthly praised the overthrown of the royal establishment in Egypt in 1952. On the other hand, various airlines from the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

published their advertisements in ''Sawt al-Bahrain'' which also covered literary work.

Closure and legacy

''Sawt al-Bahrain'' ceased publication in 1954 due to the pressure from the British authorities as a result of the conflicts about the Suez Canal. The last issue of the monthly appeared in August 1954. The same year another Bahraini publication, ''

Al Qafilah ''Al Qafilah'' (Arabic: ''The Qaravan'') was a weekly newspaper published in Manama, Bahrain, between 1952 and 1956. History and profile ''Al Qafilah'' was founded by progressive Arab nationalists, including Ali Sayyar, one of the members of the ...

'', was also closed, and the advisor of the king, Charles Belgrave, reported the reason for these closures as their "offensive remarks about neighbouring friendly states." ''Sawt al-Bahrain'' inspired a Saudi Arabian opposition magazine ''Al Isha'' (Arabic: ''The Shining Light'') which was published in

Khobar Khobar ( ar, ٱلْخُبَر, translit=al-Khobar) is a city and governorate in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Persian Gulf. With a population of 457,748 as of 2017, Khobar is part of the 'Triplet ...

in the period 1955–1957. In 2011 Bahraini dissidents based in London established a bilingual publication with the title ''Sawt al-Bahrain''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawt al Bahrain 1950 establishments in Bahrain 1954 disestablishments in Bahrain Arabic-language magazines Arab nationalism in Bahrain Censorship in Bahrain Defunct magazines published in Bahrain Defunct political magazines Independent magazines Magazines established in 1950 Magazines disestablished in 1954 Mass media in Manama Monthly magazines Socialist magazines