BBC touts Bahrain as rare symbol of coexistence

The House of the Ten Commandments is the only synagogue in Manama, Bahrain. It was renovated in 2021 after Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords and reopened to the public. BBC Radio 4 sent a (Muslim) reporter to attend the Shabbat service. (With thanks: Daniel)

The Shabbat service is conducted by Abdullah. The reporter is surprised to find out that he is a Muslim. Another Muslim called Ahmed sits on the synagogue board: his grandmother acted as a ‘Shabbat goy’ for a Jewish family, even lighting the coals for their shisha pipe. A visiting Lebanese Christian remarks that the synagogue has no security guards, unlike the one in Beirut.

A reason for this lack of security is probably because there aren’t any Jews in attendance – the report puts the tiny community at 40 -except for community leader Ebrahim Noonoo, who is at pains to emphasise the similarities between the Quran and the Torah. He sees the synagogue as a symbol of coexistence between religions. But Jews might question if  the synagogue is any no longer a synagogue, rather a showcase for interfaith relations.

The report is frank in stating that 90 percent of the community fled in the wake of violent riots in 1947 and that the war since 7 October has cooled relations between Bahrain and Israel. But Bahrain’s Sunni rulers are still resolute in their fear of Iran, which has tried to turn the majority Shia population against them.

Radio 4 report: