Arab, Bahraini, Sunni

Bahraini Sunni Arabs are the Sunni Arab citizens of Bahrain, speakers of the Gulf Arabic dialect that Bahrainis call the 'Arab' dialect as opposed to the Baharna speech of the Shia. They are not one tribe but several layers. The ruling Al Khalifa and their allies of the Bani Utbah (Utub) confederation, clans of Anizah descent from Najd that settled at Kuwait and Zubarah in Qatar, conquered Bahrain in 1783; allied lineages such as the Al Bin Ali (of Banu Sulaym descent), Al Musallam, Al Fadhel and Al Rumaihi followed. Tribal Arabs such as the Dawasir settled at Budaiya and Zallaq in 1845; most Dawasir left for Dammam in 1923 rather than submit to taxation, and some later returned. Urban Najdi families of central Arabian origin, merchants and scholars, settled in Muharraq and Manama. The Huwala, Sunni Arabs who had lived for generations on the Iranian coast, re-migrated to Bahrain in the 19th and 20th centuries; Sunni Persian (Achomi) families who adopted Arab names are often counted with them. Since the 1990s the state has naturalised Sunni Arabs from Saudi tribes, Syria, Jordan and Yemen, many recruited into the security forces.

Sunni Bahraini culture grew from Muharraq, the old capital and pearling port, and from the tribal towns of Riffa, Hidd, Busaiteen, Zallaq and Budaiya. Pearl-merchant houses such as Bait Siyadi, the sea songs of fijiri (fidjeri) sung by divers' crews and the ardha sword dance performed at weddings and national celebrations are central symbols; the Pearling Path in Muharraq became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. Social life revolves around the majlis, the reception room where men gather in the evenings, around Friday prayer and around extended families and tribal lineages, which arrange marriages and offer patronage. Falconry, horse and camel racing, dhow sailing, machboos, harees at Ramadan and coffee served with dates are shared Gulf traditions. Women wear the abaya in public; many work in government, banking and education.

Bahraini Sunnis follow three schools: Maliki for the Al Khalifa and Utub, Hanbali for Najdi families and Shafi'i for the Huwala, each with its own judges in the Sunni family courts. Mosque life, Friday sermons and Ramadan observance are central; Prophet's Birthday (mawlid) recitations survive in some Muharraq families. Since the 1980s the Muslim Brotherhood (Al-Islah Society, political wing Al-Menbar) and Salafi networks (Al-Asalah) have shaped Sunni religiosity, especially among civil servants and security personnel. After 2011 the National Unity Gathering of Sheikh Abdullatif Al Mahmood mobilised Sunnis politically, but its influence and that of the Islamist societies has declined. Sunni identity is reinforced by the sectarian divide with the Shia majority.

The full Standard Arabic Bible, the JESUS film, Arabic audio recordings and Arabic Christian satellite and online media are available. The National Evangelical Church, founded from the American Arabian Mission (1906), holds Arabic services, and the American Mission Hospital has served Bahrainis since 1903, but no church of Sunni Bahraini background is known. IMB lists the group as unengaged with no known evangelicals.

Al Khalifa and Utub: the ruling family and allied clans of the Bani Utbah (Al Bin Ali, Al Musallam, Al Fadhel, Al Rumaihi and others), Maliki, centred on Riffa and Muharraq. Dawasir and other tribal Arabs: Budaiya, Zallaq and the Hawar Islands; most Dawasir left for Dammam in 1923. Najdis: non-tribal urban families from central Arabia, Hanbali, merchants and religious scholars in Muharraq and Manama. Huwala: Sunni Arabs who lived on the Iranian coast and re-migrated, Shafi'i, merchants in Muharraq and Manama; some Sunni Achomi (Larestani) families with Arabised names are counted with them. Naturalised Sunnis: Arabs from Saudi tribes, Syria, Jordan and Yemen naturalised since the 1990s, mostly in the security forces, living in Riffa, Hamad Town and Isa Town.