Word: royalities
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...such Western pleasures as dancing and nightclubbing. Reflecting the tolerant views of Sheik Isa, Bahrain is more relaxed: liquor flows freely in its hotels, and supper clubs offer the best in gulf entertainment. Already, many Saudis fly to the island looking for fun; some members of the austere Saudi royal family fear that Bahrain will turn into a gigantic weekend resort once the road is open...
Sheik Isa's main worry centers on a religious schism within his people. The royal family, along with most of the nation's decision makers, are Sunni Muslims, but some 60% of the country, including most of the poor, belong to the Shi'ite branch of Islam. Bahrain thus is an inviting target for an Islamic revolution imported from Iran, where the Shi'ites are dominant. The island in fact was part of Persia until Sheik Isa's ancestors, who came from Qatar, drove out the Persians in 1783. Since the revolution that brought Ayatullah...
...ruled the country since 1961. The sheik, whose cherubic face always seems to be breaking into a smile, truly delights in dealing with people. Anyone with a grievance can come to the palace and complain to His Highness in person. If a foreigner has trouble with the royal name, the sheik is likely to joke, "Call me Jake." Although he is wealthy, he and his wife avoid extravagances; the sheik is often spotted driving around in a vintage gray Chevrolet rather than a gleaming Rolls. Largely by dint of his benevolent personality, Sheik Isa succeeded in dissolving the badly divided...
...neither denied nor confirmed the hidden subject of his book. But there can be little doubt that his alternately acrid and hilarious portrait of Haile Selassie's kingdom was meant to provide a riveting view of two societies, as well as an unarguable point: Kings of Kings, whether royal or Communist, are seated on the backs of the people...
Daunting too were the three days of continuous celebrations. To extend a royal welcome, Queen Elizabeth II joined the 800 returning scholars and 600 spouses for a vast outdoor garden party. In the intermittent sunshine of an English June, the Queen circulated amiably through a riot of improbable hats and tropical colors rivaling those at Ascot; then she tucked into tea, eclairs and watercress sandwiches under a striped marquee...