Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa

Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa (born in Muharraq in 1948) is the first wife of the present King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the mother of the Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Sabika
Consort of the King of Bahrain
Tenure	14 February 2002 – present
Coronation	14 February 2002
Born	1948 (age 71–72) Muharraq, Bahrain
Spouse	Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Issue	Salman, Crown Prince of Bahrain Abdullah Khalifa Najla
House	al-Khalifa
Father	Ibrahim bin Muhammad al-Khalifa
Mother	Fatima bint Salman al-Khalifa
Religion	Sunni Islam

Personal life

Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa was born in Muharraq, Bahrain in 1948, a daughter of Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al Khalifa, by his wife, Fatima bint Salman Al Khalifa, daughter of Salman ibn Hamad Al Khalifa, the Hakim of Bahrain between 1941 and 1960.

She married her first cousin,[1] Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on 9 October 1968.[1][2] She is the first wife of Hamad.[3] Sabika and Hamad have four children, three sons and one daughter:[1][2]

• Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain (born 21 October 1969).
• Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 30 June 1976).
• Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 4 June 1978).
• Najla bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 20 May 1981).

Public life

She is the head of the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain,[4] that has encouraged the expansion of women's rights in Bahrain,[5] encouraging women to vote in the 2001 elections,[6] and, in June 2005, hosted the first ladies of the Arab world in Bahrain for the second meeting of the Higher Council of Arab Women Organisation.[7]

She is also the chief patron of the Society for Women and Children in Bahrain[8] and has addressed the United Nations General Assembly on topics such as Children – future action and Children – programme implementation.[9]

Honours

•  Bahrain: Order of Ahmad the Victorious, First Class (2 November 2003).
•  Bahrain: Order of Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa (Wisam al-Shaikh ‘Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa), First Class (16 December 2008).

Ancestry

Ancestors of Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa

16. Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa 8. Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa 17. Tajba bint Ahmad Al Khalifa 4. Muhammad bin Isa Al Khalifa Al Haj 18. Hamad bin Ali Al Benali 9. Maryam bint Hamad Al Benali 2. Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al Khalifa 20. Jabor Al Zayed 10. Ali bin Jabor Al Zayed 5. Aisha bint Ali Al Zayed 22. Yasser bin Ghanem Al Zayed 11. Sabika bint Yasser Al Zayed 23. Moza bint Saood 1. Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa 24. Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa (= 8) 12. Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa 25. Haya bint Muhammad Al Khalifa 6. Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa 26. Ali bin Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa 13. Aysha bint Ali bin Mohamed Al Khalifa 3. Fatima bint Salman Al Khalifa 28. Ahmed bin Ali Al Khalifa 14. Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa 7. Nayla bint Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa Munira bint Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa

References

1. East and Thomas 2003: 38
2. Sleeman 2003: 878
3. "Meet 15 women married to the world's biggest despots". Business Insider India. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
4. Human rights: annual report (2004 ed.), London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 2004, p. 234, ISBN 978-0-903359-91-7
5. Pegues 2007: 15
6. Winkler 2007: 162
7. Al Abded et al. 2006: 241
8. Women for Peace International
9. Index to proceedings of the General Assembly: 15

Bibliography

• Index to the proceedings of the General Assembly: Twenty-seventh special session, New York: United Nations Publications, 2003, ISBN 978-92-1-100917-0
• Al Abed, Ibrahim; Vine, Paula; Hellyer, Peter; et al., eds. (2006), United Arab Emirates yearbook (2006 ed.), London: Trident Press, ISBN 978-1-905486-05-2
• East, Roger; Thompson, Richard, eds. (2003), Profiles of people in power: the world's government leaders, London: Europa Publications Limited, ISBN 1-85743-126-X
• Pegues, Beverley J. (2007), The persecuted church prayer devotional: interceding for the suffering church, Colorado Springs: Authentic Publishing, ISBN 978-1-932805-90-1
• Sleeman, Elizabeth, ed. (2003), The international who's who (2004 ed.), London: Europa Publications Limited, ISBN 978-1-85743-217-6
• Winkler, David Frank (2007), Amirs, admirals and desert sailors: Bahrain, the U.S. Navy and the Arabian Gulf, Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, ISBN 978-1-59114-962-0