Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah

Infobox Monarch
name = Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
حمد بن عيسى آل خليفة
title = King of Bahrain
Emir of Bahrain


reign = 06 March 1999 – present
coronation =
predecessor = Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah
successor =
suc-type = Heir-Apparent
heir = Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
consort = Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa
issue = Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Abdullah
Khalifa
Najla
Faisal ibn Hamad Al Khalifah
royal house = Al-Khalifa
royal anthem =
father = Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah
mother =
birth_date = bda|1948|12|28|df=y
birth_place = Riffa, Bahrain
religion = Sunni Islam
death_date =
death_place =
buried =
Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, KCMG ( _ar. حمد بن عيسى آل خليفة) (born December 28, 1949 in Riffa, Bahrain) is the current King of Bahrain (since 2002), having previously been its Emir (from 1999). He is the son of Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, the previous emir.

For his secondary schooling, he attended the Leys School in Cambridge, England, and later at military colleges in the United Kingdom (including Sandhurst) and United States (including Fort Leavenworth). [ [http://www.bahrainembassy.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=section.home&id=38 Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States ] ]

Al Khalifah has great interest in preserving heritage and continues to indulge in a number of sports activities and hobbies including falconry, golf, fishing, tennis and football. His keen interest in Arabian horses caused him to establish the Amiri stables in June 1977 which was registered in the World Arabian Horses Organization in September 1978.

Reign

Upon succeeding his father, King Hamad brought in sweeping political reforms to the Kingdom which included the release of all political prisoners, granting women the right to vote, and holding elections for parliament. The reforms were described by Amnesty International as representing a "historic period of human rights." [ [http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE110052001?open&of=ENG-BHR Bahrain: Promising Human rights reform must continue | Amnesty International ] ] The country was declared a kingdom in 2002. It formerly was considered an emirate and officially called a "state." In 2002 he took a stance opposing any 'unilateral' military action by the United States against Iraq.

Family

He and his wife, Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, have four living children:

*His Royal Highness Sheikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, born on March 21, 1975
*His Royal Highness Sheikh Abdullah, born on June 30, 1975
*His Royal Highness Sheikh Khalifa, born on June 4, 1977
*Her Royal Highness Sheikha Najla, born on May 20, 1981
*His Royal Highness Sheikh Nasser, born on May 8, 1987

The king's youngest son (born February 12, 1991), Sheikh Faisal ibn Hamad Al Khalifah, died at 15 years old, in a car accident on January 13, 2006.

References

ee also

*List of national leaders
*Al Khalifa

External links

* [http://www.bahrainembassy.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=section.home&id=38 Bahrain Embassy]
* [http://www.vob.org/index.php?lang=english&show=news&action=article&id=41 The New Amir of Bahrain: Marching Sideways] , Abdulhadi Khalaf, Civil Society, Volume 9, Issue 100, April 2000
*PDFlink| [http://www.iue.it/RSCAS/RestrictedPapers/conmed2003free/200303Khalaf05.pdf The King’s Dilemma: Obstacles to Political Reforms In Bahrain] |227 KiB , Abdulhadi Khalaf, Fourth Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting, European University Institute, March 2003
* [http://eprints.dur.ac.uk/archive/00000221/ Generational change and elite-driven reforms in the Kingdom of Bahrain. (Sir William Luce Fellowship Paper No. 7)] Dr. Steven Wright (2006) Institute for Middle East and Islamic Studies, University of Durham, (PDF Format)
* [http://mondediplo.com/2005/03/09bahrain Bahrian: The Royals rule] , Le Monde Diplomatique, March 2005
* [http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NJSDSTV| An Arab exception: Reform in Bahrain] The Economist, 29 July 2004 (requires subscription)