Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, GCB, GCMG (Arabic: عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة; June 3, 1933 – March 6, 1999) was the monarch or emir of Bahrain from 1961 until his death. Born in Jasra, he became emir upon the death of his father, Salman ibn Hamad. On May 8, 1949, he married his only wife, Shaikha Hessa bint Salman Al Khalifa (1933–2009).
Isa's reign saw Bahrain gain its independence from the United Kingdom in 1971. While the government initially conside...
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Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, GCB, GCMG (Arabic: عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة; June 3, 1933 – March 6, 1999) was the monarch or emir of Bahrain from 1961 until his death. Born in Jasra, he became emir upon the death of his father, Salman ibn Hamad. On May 8, 1949, he married his only wife, Shaikha Hessa bint Salman Al Khalifa (1933–2009).
Isa's reign saw Bahrain gain its 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 1975, however, he dissolved Parliament because it refused to pass the government-sponsored State Security Law of 1974. The parliamentary system was never restored and forced the emir to contend with occasional protests from the leftist and...
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