The political vacuum of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, is met with extreme cynicism in light of his resorting to meetings unworthy of his position only to try to fill his agenda.
It stands out here that Hamad bin Issa’s last official meeting was with the head of a supermarket group at a time when it was promoted as a reception for the G20.
Commentators highlighted that the existence of a political vacuum for an Arab leader and official meetings with the owners of shops and consumables is a phenomenon that deserves study.
Strangely, the meeting was attended by Salman bin Hamad, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the King’s personal representative, as if it was a meeting discussing the fate of the country and its people.
Hamad bin Isa deliberately added Al-Moazzam to his series of titles to satisfy his sick personality. At the time, opposition sites and figures mocked King Al-Khalifi’s move, wondering if it could be said that the problems of the country and the people in Bahrain had been finally resolved and that there was a genius in power who was guided to solve all of this with one stroke of the pen.
Through the Ministry of Information, the royal court sent a circular to local newspapers approving a new amendment to the official version of the King’s news. The word “exalted” was added to the descriptions and titles of the King, according to the opposition website (Bahrain Mirror).
The circular stated, “Please adopt the following designation for His Majesty the Great King and amend the news in your newspaper today: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Great King of the country. May God protect and preserve him.”
This is not the first amendment to be made to the titles of the confused King in himself, as he called himself after the issuance of the 2002 constitution “His Majesty”, and this title was used by his grandfather, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and the grandfather of his father, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
“His Majesty” was adopted at the beginning of the Charter era, but it was changed on December 16, 2002, to “His Majesty the King, the Sovereign of the Country.”
This was after he sparked great controversy in the media and Internet forums then and even faced a religious problem in circles loyal to the ruling family.
A question was also asked in the Kingdom about the luxurious titles used by kings. The response of Dr Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Khudairi, a faculty member at Qassim University, was as follows: “As for the release, this is: His Majesty and His Greatness, this is absolute majesty and greatness that no creature deserves.”
After nearly twenty years, Hamad bin Isa added the title Al-Muazzam (The Great) to his descriptions and titles, so that today the titles come as follows: “His Majesty the Great King approves Law No. (20) of 2022 amending Article (5) of the Building Regulation Law promulgated by Decree-Law No. (13) For the year 1977, after the approval of the Shura Council and the House of Representatives and promulgating it, “His Majesty the King receives a reply telegram from the Emperor of Japan.”
This comes as Bahrain sinks under layers of political, economic and social crises, and citizens complain daily about the decline in health and educational services and the complete absence of basic freedoms.
Despite all this, the country is waking up today to see clearly what is preoccupying the mind of its ruler. He is preoccupied with his titles, their majesty, their ringing, and their musical timbre.
What is the reason for this change, and why has the King become “exalted” now? And why has the feeling of greatness awakened again in the mind of the King? Was there something that interacted with something, and greatness was born in Diwan Al-Amer, or what happened?
There are no answers, and the matter does not need to be analyzed. It is simply the feeling of condescension, racism, and the unacceptability of merging with people and the feeling of superiority over them that fills these rulers.