How a trip to Bahrain served as a reminder of the Gulf’s special ties

The connections between the peoples of this region are unbreakable, says Khalaf Al Habtoor

Bahrain has close connections to the other Gulf states. Marwan Naamani / AFP

I was honoured to be given the Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa Award for Voluntary Work in recognition of my philanthropic endeavours. While being recognised for one’s efforts is always appreciated, I believe it is the duty of everyone to help those less fortunate.

Recently I flew to Manama for a presentation ceremony at which I and other recipients from all over the Arab world were presented with our awards. My mistake was that I should have planned a longer stay rather than a day’s hop, but I intend to right that error by returning very soon.

Just one day there experiencing the warm welcome, and a wealth of good feeling from my Bahraini brothers and sisters, affected me more than I can say. From the moment the award’s patron greeted me at the airport until I left for Dubai I was overwhelmed with exceptional kindness.

Some of the day’s highlights included the opportunity to meet and discuss a variety of topics with Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the prime minister, following the event.

I must add that I was very impressed with his grandsons, the award’s patron and his brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali, whose love of their country, dignified manner and sense of duty are a testament to the ruling family’s strong roots. I also very much appreciated the opportunity to get to know Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s deputy prime minister, over lunch.

Many years have passed since my last visit to Bahrain and I could not help marvelling at the way modernity has been blended seamlessly with historic attractions. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the Arab League selected the city as “The Arab Capital of Culture” in 2012.

Yet, as I strolled around the well-kept streets of Muharraq’s oldest district, I was gripped by a sensation of peace in a place where our pure Arab traditions have been preserved. This is where the past meets the present, a place where our beautiful Gulf Arab culture, rooted in hospitality, dignity, generosity and care for others, still exists, uninterrupted by the distractions of the 21st century.

The relaxed ambience took me back to the old days when everyone knew one another and lived according to the beliefs of their ancestors. A time when no one’s front door was locked and there was no necessity to make an appointment to visit friends. Passers-by smiled or stopped to chat. I even came across a few of my regular readers.

Simply, my hosts and the Bahraini people I met treated me as one of their own. I have rarely felt so much at home anywhere in the world. When I looked into their eyes I could feel warmth of the kind that comes naturally, rather than out of mere politeness.

I was reminded once again of the unbreakable ties the people of Arab Gulf countries share – ties of history, religious beliefs, traditions, cultural heritage and, very often, blood. Whether we are Emiratis or Saudis, Bahrainis or Kuwaitis, Qataris or Omanis, we are honourable, fiercely proud people bound by our tribal ancestors and our readiness to stand by each other. This is what makes us special.

Our Gulf Cooperation Council is much more than a loose political or economic union such as the EU. It is the bank that guards the future of all of us in its vault, because no matter what passport we hold, how we choose to wear our ghutras or the number of skyscrapers dotting our skylines, we are one.

Yes, we are one and it is thanks to the people of Bahrain that that fact has hit home. Like any family, we will have our disagreements but we must never forget that hand-in-hand, heart-to-heart, we can never be defeated by our enemies plotting to split us apart.

God in his wisdom has blessed us with lives of plenty but let us not forget, or allow our children to forget, our past struggles when we possessed little more than each other, a time when there were so many helping hands stretched out. A time when people would go hungry to offer their last meal to a stranger.

Those values remain the backbone of Bahrain just as they were when as a young boy travelling with my father en route to performing the Haj, I fell seriously ill, cutting our journey short. Unable to find a vessel sailing to Dubai, we took a boat to Bahrain where we were received by the ruler’s chief of protocol and taken to a simple hotel that we could ill afford.

The owner must have understood our plight because he sent us a meal of curry and rice on the house. The following day, we were astonished to be invited to meet the then ruler Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, whose generosity enabled us to embark on a safe journey home. As I have discovered once again, his compassionate spirit is ingrained in the DNA of the Bahraini royal family today and still lives in the hearts of Bahraini people. God bless you all.

Khalaf Al Habtoor is chairman of the Al Habtoor Group