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Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa

Hakim/Emir of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999

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Born in Jasra, Bahrain, he ascended the throne upon the death of his father, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Early life and reign

Isa was born in Jasra to Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Mouza bint Hamad Al Khalifa (1917-2011), the daughter of Hamad ibn Abdullah Al Khalifa, and succeeded his father as emir upon his death in November 1961. He was installed on 16 December.

Isa visited Ayetollah Mohsin Al Hakim in Najaf in 1968 to indicate his keenness to reinforce relationships with the Shia.

During his reign, Bahrain gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1971. While the government initially considered joining the United Arab Emirates, Isa had his country withdraw (along with Qatar) over his dissatisfaction with the proposed constitution. He then attempted to introduce a moderate form of parliamentary democracy, and men (though not women) were given the vote in parliamentary elections in 1973. In August 1975, however, he dissolved Parliament because it refused to pass the government-sponsored State Security Law of 1974. The parliamentary system was never restored in his lifetime despite occasional protests from the leftist and Islamist camps, which reached their peak in 1994 (see: History of Bahrain).

During his reign there was an arrangement between him and his brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman, whereby the Emir was assigned a diplomatic and ceremonial role, while Khalifa controlled the government and economy as Prime Minister.

Isa was one of the founders of the Dar Al Maal Al Islami Trust which was initiated by Saudi royal Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud, King Faisal's son, in 1981.

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