Arouf Bin Salman Al Hamad

Bahrain

**Arouf Bin Salman Al Hamad, King of Bahrain** (Arabic:عروف بن سلمان الحمد) is the current King of Bahrain. He was formerly a racing driver who competed in the World Sportscar Championship for Mercedes.

## Early Life

Prince Arouf is the eldest son of King Misbaq Al Hamad and his wife Fatima bint Mia al Khalifa.

The Prince earned a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cambridge in 1950 and joined his brother, Ebrahim, in a national level sportscar team based in Luton, with Ebrahim initially as driver.

Prince Arouf had planned to return to Cambridge to complete a masters degree in 1953, but he was given the drive in his brother's team after Ebrahim crashed, breaking both legs.

## **Racing Career**

Prince Arouf was recruited to the Mercedes team in 1955 after Le Mans. Their relationship was strained early when the team refused the Prince's request to paint an Islamic crescent on the car for luck.

Nevertheless, he placed on the podium in the final two races in the 1955 season and Mercedes retained him for the 1956 season.

Al Hamad enjoyed his time racing across the world, but suffered a massive accident at the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He was heavily injured in the crash and the media widely spread rumours that he had passed away from his injuries. The King of Bahrain, upon recieving these reports, issued a *fatwa* against the World Sportscar Championship, saying: "You have killed my son, and endangered the whole Kingdom of Bahrain. If you are seen in these lands, by Mohammed (peace be upon him) you will be brought before my sword." The *fatwa* was later retracted after Arouf was found to be recovering well in a French hospital. The King later invited the organisers of the World Sportscar Championship to the Royal Palace in Bahrain.

The Prince retired at the end of the 1956 season. Rumours among the racing community suggested this was due to embarrassment he felt in being the slowest Mercedes driver. Al Hamad has addressed these claims, saying "Of course I did not retire. The Hadith clearly states this is haram. I have returned to my royal duties and, Allah willing, the people of Bahrain will benefit greatly."

## Post-Racing

After his father's death in 1973, Arouf became King of Bahrain. He implemented a wide range of modernisation policies which aimed to improve the Kingdom's economy.

In 2000 Al Hamad announced that construction had started on a new racing circuit in the country, with the intention of hosting a Formula One event in the future. The King personally spearheaded the project and hired an international team to achieve his goal of creating a circuit that could host international events. The inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix would be held in 2004, with the race won by Florian Delacroix.

## Controversy

Despite modernising the country's economy when he became ruler, Arouf continues to rule Bahrain with conservative values. The 1980s saw a range of human rights violations as he cracked down on protestors and anyone he saw as a threat to the stability of the country. His view on protestors softened in the 1990s and some laws were relaxed when the country came under international pressure.

Stine Olander won the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix, angering the King greatly as he did not want the event to inspire any womens rights movements in the country. He refused to award the winner's trophy to Stine, who stood on the top step of the podium with a shirt that read "Strength has no gender." The broadcast was not repeated in Bahrain. Stine would appear on the podium at the event for the two following years. In 2008 the King and the royal family would be heavily criticised for attempting to persuade the race stewards not to penalise David Dwyer for an incident as this would elevate Olander onto the podium. The FIA President Max Mosley was pressured by Arouf to drop Dwyer's penalty but this ultimately failed and Olander would be moved up to third place.