Hamad II of Bahrain

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on 28 January 1950 in Riffa, Bahrain. His parents were Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, then Crown Prince, and Hessa bint Salman Al Khalifa.

After attending Manama secondary school in Bahrain, Hamad was sent to England to attend Applegarth College in Godalming, Surrey before enrolling at The Leys School in Cambridge. Hamad then underwent military training, first with the British Army at Mons Officer Cadet School at Aldershot in Hampshire, graduating in September 1968. Four years later, in June 1972, Hamad attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, graduating the following June with a degree in leadership.

Hamad has four wives and has had in total twelve children: seven sons and five daughters.

He married his first wife (also his first cousin), Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, at Rifa'a on 9 October 1968. She is Bahraini and together they have three sons and one daughter:

Sheikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain (born 21 October 1969)

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (born 30 June 1975)

Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 4 June 1978)

Sheikha Najla bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 20 May 1981)

His second wife, Sheikha Sheia bint Hassan Al Khrayyesh Al Ajmi is from Kuwait. Together they have two sons:

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 8 May 1987)

Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 23 September 1989)

His third wife, Sheikha Hessa bint Faisal bin Muhammad bin Shuraim Al Marri, with whom he has one son and two daughters:

Sheikha Munira bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 15 July 1990)

Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad Al Khalifa (12 February 1991 – 12 January 2006), died in a car accident.

Sheikha Noura bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 6 November 1993)

His fourth wife, Sheikha Manal bint Jabor Al Naimi, with whom he has one son and two daughters:

Sheikh Sultan bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1997)

Sheikha Hessa bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2000)

Sheikha Reema bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2002)

Political turmoil and reform

Hamad's government initially continued continued repressive measures against the Shia-led opposition movement, including summary arrests, torture, and deportation of activists. His uncle Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa remained as prime minister, who was in favor of authoritarian measures, and had effectively controlled the country since 1971, while Hamad's father had been in a largely ceremonial role as emir. Khalifa continued to wield extensive authority, especially over the security services, and reportedly undermined Hamad's attempts at reform. Hamad focused on attaining stability in a nation riddled with profound tensions after the 1990s uprising, and sought to transform Bahrain from an emirate into a constitutional monarchy, in which the Al Khalifa dynasty's power would be balanced with an elected parliament. After Khalifa died in office in 2020, Hamad focused on consolidating power around his direct descendants, and accelerating economic and political reforms, including by bringing younger leaders into the political system. Hamad appointed his eldest son and crown prince, the pro-reform Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, as prime minister. He appointed another son, Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, as national security advisor.

Hamad's reforms are credited with bringing political and economic transformation to Bahrain. These included the release of all political prisoners, the dissolution of the State Security Court and the abolition of the 1974 Decree on State Security Measures. Additionally, many Bahraini citizens were permitted to return after several years in exile overseas. The National Action Charter, Hamad's reform program, was submitted to a referendum in February 2001 and met with widespread public support. However, when a new constitution was promulgated by Hamad on 14 February 2002 (which also transformed the emirate into a kingdom), it limited the powers of the elected lower chamber in favor of the un-elected upper chamber, allowing the king to nullify the power of the elected officials. The government also influenced the 2002 general election by granting Bahraini citizenship to Sunni Muslim workers from other countries, which was seen by Shias as an attempt to reduce their demographic dominance. These measures were criticized by the opposition, which considered the constitution that Hamad unilaterally promulgated as creating a system in which the king and his advisors were unaccountable.

Hamad implemented incremental reforms as a response to protests. The monarchy being Sunni while the majority of Bahrainis are Shia has created fears of Iranian influence, which has historically claimed Bahrain, where the Arab Al Khalifa family took power from Persians. Shia Muslims, who have been repressed by Bahrain's Sunni-led government since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, were permitted to work in the ministries of defense and interior. Although Hamad's reign has seen the admittance of Shias into positions in the government, there have still been calls for a more equitable distribution of positions and jobs. The Al Khalifa family lead a large number of ministerial and governmental posts including the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bahrain Economic Development Board and the Supreme Council for Women. The vast majority of significant positions in the Bahrain Defence Force are held by Sunnis, and the government continues its systemic discrimination against Shias.

Elections are not considered to be free or fair by international observers. Al-Wefaq, a Bahraini Shia political movement that wanted a true constitutional monarchy in which the prime minister is accountable to an elected parliament, boycotted the elections in 2002, but won nearly half of the seats in 2006 and 2010. In the years after the 2011 uprising, the government responded aggressively to continued protests, such as by banning al-Wefaq in 2016, and by raiding opposition groups that it claimed were being armed by Iran. On 21 May 2017, US President Donald Trump told Hamad "Our countries have a wonderful relationship together...[T]here has been a little strain, but there won't be strain with this administration." Two days later, the government arrested at least 286 people who were supporters of a Bahraini Shia leader that had been prosecuted. In 2018, Hamad signed an amendment to the Exercise of Political Rights Law that put more limitations on eligibility to run for office.

In a series of four mass pardons in April, June, September, and December 2024, Hamad released 3,482 prisoners, including more than 800 people that were deemed political prisoners by the human rights advocates.

During the war against Iran launched by the US and Israel in 2026, Hamad made public appearances and speeches, including visits to Bahraini troops and to victims of the Iranian strikes on Bahrain. He gave a speech on 8 March 2026 condemning Iran's attacks, and visited the Royal Bahraini Air Force on 9 March in military uniform, as the supreme commander. During March, the government arrested demonstrators protesting against the US–Israeli war and mourning Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In April, after Hamad said the government would take measures against anyone who "betrayed the state," 69 foreign-born people had their Bahraini citizenship revoked, for showing support for Iran or espionage. Hamad said in May that "a small group of individuals chose to collaborate with the enemy and cooperated with those who violated national sovereignty," calling it "a grave act of treason," and also said that Iran must stop interfering in Bahrain's internal affairs.