Christianity in Bahrain
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There are a large number of Christians in Bahrain -- with a very small local bahraini christian community. Christians are mainly Lebanese or Indian and are predominantly Catholic.
The Churches include St. Christopher's Cathedral (Anglican), The Sacred Heart Church (Roman Catholic), The National Evangelical Church, The Bahrain Malayalee Church of South India, St. Mary's Orthodox Church (Indian Orthodox) , St. Peter's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church and The Mar Thoma Church. The Royal Society of St. George is also represented Sacred Heart Church (Manama, Bahrain).
[edit] Christian Cemetaries
The first of the two Christian cemeteries in the Kingdom of Bahrain, known as the 'Old' cemetery, is in Manama, the Capital of Bahrain, at the junction of Zubara Avenue and Al-Maarif Avenue (Road No. 806).
It is believed that the original plot of land for this cemetery was given as a gift by the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaik Isa Bin Ali Al Khalifa, in response to a request from the British Assistant Political Agent, Mr. John Calcott Gaskin. The title deed was dated June 1901 (12th Rabia Thani 1319).
An early photograph of the cemetery (1903) shows the boundary wall and gate with no roads or buildings in the immediate vicinity. Such has been the development of Bahrain since that time, the cemetery is now completely surrounded by roads and buildings and is in the midst of a very busy area of Manama.
A plan , produced 1932/3 shows what appears to be the original wall with a gate on the West side only. The dimensions of the wall were, West to East, 80.3 ft (24.4m) by 82 ft (25m), North to South. The overall size of the plot is shown as 155.3 ft (47.2m) by 82 ft (25m).
First burial: The first burial was made on 19th July 1901. The deceased was a child, Majeed, who died as the result of falling from a roof. Majeed was the son of Amin, a Christian convert.
Shortly after the first burial, the remains of five British Royal Navy Officers and men who had died in Bahrain between 1872 and 1889 and been buried outside the walls of what is now the Police Fort, opposite St. Christopher's Cathedral, were transferred to the 'Old' cemetery.
It is interesting to note that the Memorial Inscriptions on the 'Fort' headstones were recorded by Dr. Samuel M. Zwemer in 1893. By 1901 all but one of the grave markers had disappeared. The surviving marker, that of Michael Kearney M.D. Surgeon, HMS Beacon, who died on the 19th July 1879, cause of death unknown, age 33 years, was transferred to the 'Old' cemetery. The marker, made of teak wood, survives to this day (2004) and is still legible and in remarkably good condition.
[edit] Vandalism
On the night of 15th May 2002 a number of misguided individuals (unknown) climbed the cemetery wall and caused severe damage to the South Eastern quadrant of the cemetery. The damage included the uprooting and smashing of wooden crosses, the smashing of concrete grave surrounds, crosses and plaques and damage to the roof of the War Memorial and brass plaques. In all approximately 100 graves were damaged.
The public reaction to this incident was one of shock and horror that such a thing would happen in Bahrain, particularly given the Country's long history of peace and religious tolerance. Expatriates and local people alike immediately made generous donations to help with the repairs.
The Bahrain authorities were immediately informed of the incident by H.E. Mr. Peter Ford, the British Ambassador and they too expressed their shock and sadness. As a result, the then Minister of Labour, H.E. Mr. Abdulnabi Abdulla Al-Shoa'la was delegated to deal with the matter. The damages were repaired by the C.C.C.C. and the walls of the cemetery (which were sadly in need of repair) were completely refurbished and topped with a tasteful 1 metre high wrought iron fence to improve security. All of these works were funded by the Bahrain Ministry of Finance. The works were completed on 8th October 2002.
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