American Bahrain Friendship Society Update

President ABFS

There are many good things happening within the American Bahrain Friendship Society (ABFS) these days and it’s time for all of us to bring in more friends as we collectively emerge from the pandemic. Please visit our website at www.abfsdc.org for videos of previous events and to remain aware of upcoming events.

I am pleased to announce His Excellency Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Kingdom of Bahrain Ambassador to the United States has approved two new board members. Welcome to former U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain William Roebuck and Mrs. Angelena Young, wife of former Ambassador Johnny Young – we are honored and delighted to have you both on the team.

In mid-September, the ABFS hosted a virtual meeting where experts discussed the rich history of Bahrain’s pearl industry. The event lasted about an hour and will be on the ABFS website before the end of this month. The video is well worth watching if you missed the live event, and even worth viewing again if you’ve already seen it.

The next scheduled ABFS event will be held virtually, at noon Eastern Standard Time on October 21^st and will exam a “Day in the Life” of those folks currently in Bahrain. The lunch time event is designed to ensure it is accessible to those of us in the United States, but also to members living in Bahrain. Please look for an email invite or check the website for details.

The Bahraini Embassy in Washington, D.C. plans to host a Bahraini National Day celebration in December – on a date soon to be determined. The current plan is to host an event that allows live participation, but also has a virtual link for those unable to attend in person. Again, please stay tuned to your email and the website for details.

As we work our way into the Fall and Winter seasons, we can be grateful for cooler temperatures and cautiously optimistic about emerging from the effects of COVID. While we are not yet at the end of the pandemic, we can begin to feel we are nearing the end, or at least a situation where vaccinations and other medications will allow us to live and function in the presence of COVID.

Please continue to take care, stay safe, and stay healthy – I know many share joy in the thought that we will all meet in person again very soon.

Remembering Former Amb. Johnny Young

Getting to Know Bahrain and America

By VADM John W. Miller

My first visit to Bahrain occurred while I was deployed to the Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch. The operation guarded southern Iraq’s largely Shia population from their brutal dictator, Saddam Hussain, and took place from shortly after the end of the Desert Storm campaign that freed Kuwait and lasted until the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As with any visit to a “new” port I was excited to see new sights, meet new people, learn about a different culture and sample the local cuisine. Little did I know that my first visit would mark the beginning of a relationship with the Kingdom and its people that goes on to this day.

The U.S. has a relationship with Bahrain that goes back decades and Bahrain hosts the only American base in the region, Naval Support Activity, Bahrain. Because Bahrain is an island and located in a geographically convenient spot at the center of the Gulf, its people have a long history of welcoming people from beyond its shores and making them feel comfortable.

Nearly 10,000 Sailors, Marines, DOD and contractor civilians and their families call Bahrain home. Many of the civilians live in Bahrain for extended periods of time and many service personnel, like me, end up serving multiple tours. For Americans living in Bahrain, there is access to quality schools, affordable housing, modern malls, an antique Souk, tourist destinations, beaches, and dozens and dozens of restaurants that offer cuisine from all over the globe.

The lasting and vibrant friendships that have been forged over the decades continues to attract Americans to the Kingdom, but also attracts many Bahraini’s to the United States – to visit friends, tour, work, or get an education. In 1990, the American Bahrain Friendship Society was founded by Ambassador John Gatch, Mr. Fouad A. Habiby and Vice Admiral Marmaduke Bayne, along with Admiral William J. Crowe and other friends who had lived in Bahrain and had U.S. diplomatic, military and business affiliations. It was established with the approval of the Amir of Bahrain, Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, and the organization continues to flourish to this day.

Covid-19 put a blanket on the Society, but as Bahrain, the U.S., and the world emerge from the global pandemic, the Society is ready to swing into action. Our next event, likely a virtual one, but possibly a hybrid, is scheduled for June 23rd at 6:30 PM, Eastern Daylight Savings time. The event will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Society. If you’re not already a member, please join by going to the webpage (https://abfsdc.org/). Membership fees are waived for the remainder of 2021, so it’s a great time to become a member.

ABFS events are scheduled monthly for the remainder of the year, with the final event in December celebrating Bahraini National Day. His excellency, Shaikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Al Khalifa is optimistic about holding an in-person celebration.

John W. “Fozzie” Miller is a retired United States Navy Vice Admiral who last served as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Manama, Bahrain. He is the President of the American Bahraini Friendship Society (ABFS).

Religious Coexistence in Bahrain

By VADM Mark I. Fox

Every time I visit Manama, I am impressed by the remarkable environment of religious tolerance and wide diversity of various faith communities in Bahrain.

Bahrain’s centuries-old record of multi-faith pluralism is unique in the region. Despite a relatively small national population of 1.5 million people, Bahrain is home to the only Jewish synagogue on the Arabian Peninsula; Bahrain also has a 200-year old Hindu temple; a Sikh temple; nearly 800 Shia mosques; over 600 Shia matams; 500 Sunni mosques; and well over a dozen Christian churches representing Catholic, Coptic, Orthodox, Anglican and Evangelical faith groups. There is no other place in the region with such a vibrant multi-faith environment.

American missionaries from the Dutch Reformed Church in New Jersey first came to Bahrain in December 1892 and eventually established in 1903 what is known today as The American Mission Hospital, the first and largest not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region. (As an interesting bit of trivia, American Mission Hospital’s address is P.O. Box 1 – the first mailing address in Bahrain).

During our time in Bahrain, my wife and I worshiped at St Christopher’s Cathedral, an Anglican Church that represented the amazing diversity of Bahrain’s population. We still count members of that church among our closest friends and look back at our time in Bahrain with the fondest memories and deepest satisfaction.

Bahrain is the only GCC country to observe a public holiday for Ashura, and is the only GCC country to allow outdoor Ashura processions.

As another example of Bahrain’s commitment to religious diversity, the Church of Bahrain broke ground in 2018 on The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia on land donated by His Majesty the King. Construction on the cathedral (located in Awali, approximately 20 km south of Manama) is ongoing.

In summary, Bahrain is a global leader in for inter- and intra- religious diversity and unity.

And finally, we are in the midst of the of Ramadan; I wish you all the blessings of, joy and peace of the holy month. Ramadan Mubarak!

Mark Irby “MRT” Fox is a retired United States Navy Vice Admiral who last served as the Deputy Commander of United States Central Command.

Bahrain is Safely Coming Back!

By VADM John Miller

March 2021

Greetings from the Kingdom of Bahrain! I arrived on the evening of March 10^th and deplaned into Bahrain’s magnificent new airport. The facility contains all the attributes of a beautiful, modern, efficient, and friendly airport. The Government of Bahrain has organized portions of the new facility in order to deal with the pandemic, but with the exception of having to fill out a medical form and obtain a Covid test before leaving the airport, the new facility provides as much automation and efficiency as one could expect.

The mandatory Covid test added about ten to fifteen minutes to the departure from the airport to the hotel and I was able to track the results via the BeAware Bahrain App on my phone. I was delighted to receive the results, which were useful to allow me to move about in Bahrain and to gain approval to be granted return entry in the United States in less than 24 hours. The App also tells me if I have come in contact with someone who has tested positive. This automated contact tracing system is reducing the number of Covid cases in Bahrain.

It is clear that Bahrain is beginning to return the pre-pandemic level of activity. The Kingdom is not there yet, but everything I’ve seen in my short time here, helps me to understand that Bahrain is carefully returning to normal. Social distancing and face masks are required, and it seems that everyone is in full compliance.

The point in sharing my experiences during my first visit to the Kingdom since the pandemic was declared is that, by all accounts, Bahrain is carefully and safely coming back to “normal.” America, with a larger population and federated government is recovering as well, but the recoveries will be different and will proceed on different timelines.

In just a few short months we will be able to mix and mingle again without the concern the pandemic has naturally instilled in most. The ABFS board is working on a monthly schedule of virtual events for the remainder of the year but is also considering the process we will use to move from virtual to hybrid, where members who aren’t yet ready to attend in-person events can still join virtually.

Related, with the permission of His Excellency, membership dues for 2020 have been suspended and remain suspended thus far in 2021. For those members who paid dues for 2020/2021, we’re working on the plan to settle accounts. New members who join in 2021 will not have to pay dues until 2022, so this is an excellent time to recruit new members – free memberships at the time we are also beginning to conduct events is enticing and I encourage all members to attend events as schedules allow, and to bring along a few friends!

ABFS continues to enjoy great support from His Excellency and from the Kingdom, so we are well positioned financially to make it through the pandemic!

Please stay safe and healthy!

John W. “Fozzie” Miller is a retired United States Navy Vice Admiral who last served as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Manama, Bahrain. He is the President of the American Bahraini Friendship Society (ABFS).