MANAMA (Agencies)
Bahrain's king has appointed a Jewish Shura Council member and a top female activist as the Kingdom’s next ambassador to Washington, making her the Arab world's first ever Jewish ambassador.
“It is an honor bestowed upon me by HM the King. I am yet to receive the documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I will visit them next week and then they will spell out my role in Washington,” lawmaker Huda Ezra Nonoo was quoted by the Bahrain Tribune as saying.
“I look forward to the challenges that such a role brings with it,” she added. A member of Bahrain’s Jewish community, Huda has served as legislator in the 40-member Shura for three years.
Nonoo, a 43-year-old mother of two boys, insisted she was not chosen for the post because of her religion.
A decree issued by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and reported by the official Bahrain News Agency on Wednesday said Nonoo was appointed as a state ambassador, but had not specified where she could be posted.
Jews migrated to Bahrain in the 19th century, mostly from Iran and Iraq. Their numbers increased early in the 20th century but decreased after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, when many left for Israel, the U.S. and Europe.
Today's Jews keep a low profile in Bahrain, working mostly in banks, commercial and trade companies and retail. They live in upscale parts of the country, being part of the wealthy business community.
There is also a synagogue and a private Jewish cemetery in the Gulf kingdom. |
