Christianity in Bahrain

The features story for this edition centres on Bahrain. The country officially known as the Kingdom of Bahrain, is located in the Persian Gulf. It comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and additional 33 artificial islands. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. According to the 2020 census, the country’s population numbers 1,501,635, of which 712,362 are natives. The rest are Arabs, Asians, Africans, Americans and Europeans. The capital and largest city is Manama, while the official languages are Arabic and English. About 67.7% of the population identify with Islam, 14.1% as Christians, 10.2% Hindus, 3.1% Buddhists, 2% as atheists and other faiths, 0.9%.

Modern History

 The Shah of Iran and the British colonial administration contested ownership of Bahrain for decades. On August 15, 1971, the United Nations conducted a referendum in the country leading to its independence same year. However, following the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1981, the Bahraini Shia population orchestrated a failed coup attempt under the auspices of the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain. A successful coup would have installed a Shia cleric on exile in Iran, Hujjatu I-Islam Hadi al- Mudarrisi as supreme leader heading a theocratic government.

In December 1994, a group of youth threw stones at female runners in an international marathon for showing their legs. The resulting clash with police soon grew into civil unrest. A popular uprising then occurred between 1994 and 2000 in which leftists, liberals and Islamists clashed, leading to the death of 40 people. The conflict ended after Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa became the Emir of the country in 1999. He instituted elections for parliament, gave women the right to vote and released all political prisoners. Subsequently, the position of Emir was upgraded to that of a King.

God’s Canvass in Bahrain

The country consists of a low desert plain rising gently to a central escarpment with the highest point known as Mountain of Smoke at 134 kilometres. Bahrain had a total land area of 665 square kilometres but this has increased to 780 square kilometres due to land reclamation. About 92% of the country is desert with periodic droughts and dust storms, the main natural hazards. Environmental issues facing it include desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, coastal degradation caused by oil spills and other discharges from tankers, refineries, distribution stations and illegal land reclamation

Fauna

The wildlife of Bahrain is more varied than might be expected of its small group of islands. Mammalian life is limited to the jerboa (desert rat), gazelle, mongoose, and hare. Fourteen species of lizard and four types of land snakes are also found. Bird life is especially varied. Larks, song thrushes, swallows and terns are frequent visitors, while those native to the islands include the bulbul, hoopoe, parakeet and warbler.  Animals native to Bahrain include those shown below.

Flora

Desert shrubs, grasses and wild date palms are common features of the country’s fauna. Citrus and alfalfa are cultivated in the north and west of the main island under irrigation. The plant life is represented by the pictures presented below.

Beaches

Culture

 The culture of Bahrain is part of the historical region of Eastern Arabia. Thus, its culture is similar to that of its Arab neighbours in the Persian Gulf. The country is also known for its cosmopolitanism since its citizens are very ethnically diverse. Though the state religion is Islam, the country is tolerant of other faiths. Cathedrals of the Catholic Church and places of worship for people of other faiths are conspicuous in the country.

Traditional Attire

The traditional Bahraini women dress is known as ‘abaya’, a long loose-fitting black gown, worn along with black cloth on the head called the hijab. Men wear the ‘thobe’ and the traditional headdress which includes the keffiyeh, ghutra and agal. The ghutra is a square scarf made of cotton, and is folded in a triangle and worn over the keffiyeh. It is usually red and white checked or all white. The keffiyeh is a white knitted skull cap worn under the ghutra. Agal is a thick, double black cord that is worn on the top of the ghutra to hold it in place. In some occasions, Bahrainis wear a bisht, which is a cloak made of wool, over the thobe. Unlike the thobe, the bisht is soft, and is usually black, brown or grey. Some traditional attires of Bahrainis are shown below.

Cuisine

Bahraini traditional food consists of classic dishes such as machboos, which features meat, rice and plenty of local spices. The country is famous for serving rice as a side dish, and there are also dishes that rely on rice as a basic ingredient. Some of the popular dishes are presented below.

Status of Christianity in Bahrain

Christians in Bahrain constitute about 14.5% of the population. The country has had an indigenous Christian community for many centuries, with the first recorded presence dating back to the 12^th century. Currently, the Christian population is dominated by expatriates, while indigenous Christians are said to number about 1,000. Even these were originally from Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and India. The majority of native Christians profess orthodox faith, with the largest denomination being the Eastern Orthodox Church. On the other hand, most of their expatriate counterparts belong to other denominations, especially the Catholic Church and those in the Protestant fold.

 While the foreigners experience relative freedom to worship, they are under close surveillance by the government and security forces. This is obviously to prevent them from proselytizing Muslims. Because the Bahraini society is Islamically conservative, converting to another faith is seen as a betrayal of tribe and family. Converts from Islam experience the most severe persecution as family members and local communities pressure them to recant their Christian faith. Despite this tension, reports of Christians being killed, imprisoned or physically harmed for their faith are rare.

 In order for Christians in the country to fulfil the Great Commission and disciple unbelievers for Christ, there is need for them to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome the fear of persecution. Christians are called to preach the Gospel in season and out of season. The disposition of any country to the faith should not be the deciding factor. The word of God cannot be imprisoned nor the Holy Spirit restrained by any man or all the devils in the cosmos. What is important is that Christians must show commitment to take the Gospel to the lost and God will open the necessary doors. In the light of the foregoing, let us enter boldly into God’s throne of grace to intercede for unsaved souls in Bahrain.

Prayer Points

1. Pray that God would purge all Christian believers in Bahrain of worldliness and sanctify them with His word.
2. Ask the Father to destroy faulty spiritual foundations in their lives and cause them to accept the truth, rather than the doctrines of demons that have been unleashed on the church by satan.
3. Pray that God would fill Christian believers in Bahrain with the Holy Spirit to empower them to live as ambassadors of Christ.
4. Pray that God would deliver them from the spirit of fear that has prevented them from ministering Christ to unsaved souls in the country.
5. Ask the Father to destroy all false religions in Bahrain and break the hold of the foul spirits enabling them from the lives of all Bahrainis.
6. Pray that God would remove the veil of darkness associated with these false religions from the hearts and minds of Bahrainis.
7. Pray that the Father would judge the principalities and powers operating in the country and uproot them from all segments of the Bahraini society.
8. Ask the Father to send workers into His harvest in the country.
9. Pray for open doors of ministry for such workers.
10. Ask the Father to protect indigenous Bahraini Christian converts from Islam to encourage others to embrace His mercy in Christ.

Intercession Checklist

1. Pick a city, town or region from the political map of Bahrain provided in the article for focused prayer.
2. Tell the Father that you are standing in the gap for its people to pray them into His Kingdom.
3. Use Psalm 2:8 as the anchor Scripture. In it, the Father said to the Messiah, “Ask of Me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession”.

***** Materials sourced from Bahrain, https://en.m.wikipedia.org, https://www.opendoorsusa.org, https://www.familysearch.org.