''Sawt al-Bahrain'' ( Arabic: ''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 Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language an ...

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, Karachi and London.

Editors

In order to avoid government pressure James Belgrave who was the son of the King's advisor Charles Belgrave 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. Bahraini veteran journalist

Ali Sayyar Ali Sayyar (1926–October 2019) was a veteran Bahraini journalist who founded and edited a newspaper, ''Al Qafilah'', and a magazine, ''Sada Al Osbou''. He was one of the founding fathers of the Bahraini press. Early life and education Sayyar ...

started his journalism career in the magazine's first issue. One of the regular contributors was a Saudi Arabian

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

activist from Qatif, 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 were very limited, leading Arab female writers such as Lebanese Rose Gharib and Palestinian poet Fadwa Tuqan 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 strikes at the

Saudi Aramco Saudi Aramco ( ar, أرامكو السعودية '), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (formerly Arabian-American Oil Company) or simply Aramco, is a Saudi Arabian public petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran. , it is one of ...

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

Sunni Muslims Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

and Shia Muslims in the country. The editors of the magazine harshly criticized the Bahrain Petroleum Company (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 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 Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

. The last issue of the monthly appeared in August 1954. The same year another Bahraini publication, '' Al Qafilah'', 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 in the period 1955–1957. In 2011

Bahraini dissidents A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 20t ...

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