Three Stories (Story Three - part one)

Three Stories One Middle East

Nader Habibi

(Story Three)

Part one

Prince Jassem's Wish

Friday May 25, 2001

When Prince Jassem drove his silver Mercedes Benz SUV to the front gate of the palace compound, he didn’t have to wait or say anything. As soon as he lowered the dark window of his car, the guards recognized him and opened the gates. Most often, Jassem would use a driver but, once in a while, he would feel like driving and today was one of those days. Jassem quickly drove through the beautiful landscape that surrounded his father’s palace. He was supposed to be there at twelve o’clock to join his parents and his wife for lunch, and his watch showed 12:40 PM. As he walked quickly into the main reception room, he saw Princess Sara walk into the room from the hallway to the left that connected the dining room to the reception room. She quickened her pace as she walked toward him.

“You were supposed to be here an hour ago! Your father is very upset!” she said to him and her face revealed her frustration. Prince Jassem didn’t say anything. He just took a step towards her, gave her a quick kiss on the lips, held her hand, turned her around, and they walked briskly toward the dining room. Just before they entered the dining room, he looked at his wife and broke his silence.

“I’m sorry dear. I had to attend to something important in the office.”

Princess Sara still looked angry. He released her hand as soon as they entered the dining room. His Highness Sheikh Hadi was sitting at the head of the table and Prince Mohammad, Jassem’s one-year old son, was sitting on his lap. Mohammad was Sheikh Hadi’s third grandchild, but he always showed more affection toward Mohammad than his daughter’s two children who were older. Contrary to what Princes Sara had said, Sheikh Hadi seemed content to play with his grandson and Jassem felt relieved.

“Hello father. Sorry I’m late,” he said as he walked toward his father and kissed his hand.

Sheikh Hadi, who was all smiles when he was looking at Mohammad, scowled at Jassem and then quickly turned his attention back to Mohammed. Jassem then walked toward his mother, Sheikha Lubna, who seemed equally angry. Jassem kissed her hand and walked around the table to take his seat to the right of his father. Sheikh Hadi handed Mohammad to one of the maids who took him to Princess Sara. He then looked at Jassem.

“You used to be punctual when you were younger!” he said. 

“My apologies father. I was talking with the vice-president of a British firm that has made it to the top five bidders for the Durrat al-Bahrain resort. The meeting took longer than I expected.”

“You should have started the meeting earlier!” said Sheikh Hadi, still looking upset.

“I wasn’t expecting it to take so long,” responded Jassem.

“How many contractors have you interviewed so far?”

“This was the fourth one. I’m meeting with the representative of a Chinese firm on Tuesday. After that, we should be able to make a selection,” answered Jassem. While Jassem and his father were talking, two maids placed the food platters on the table. One plate was filled with pieces of chicken and the other dish was rice combined with chunky pieces of lamb. One of the waitresses approached the King to serve his food.

“We will serve the food ourselves,” said the King.

Both maids bowed and walked away from the table. They stood next to the entrance door waiting for orders. Sheikh Hadi looked at his wife and smiled. Then he gently slid his plate toward her. Sheikha Lubna smiled back and lifted the King’s plate. She put two pieces of chicken and a cup of rice on it.  There were several side dishes on the table, but she only added some yogurt and salad to the King’s plate.

Jassem and Sara were looking at them. The King glanced at Prince Jassem and winked at him. For a moment, Jassem thought of doing the same and letting Sara serve him, but he changed his mind. Sara and Jassem filled their own plates.

“Your mother has put me on a diet and doesn’t let me indulge,” said Sheikh Hadi who was clearly overweight.

“After you lose ten kilos, you can have whatever you like,” commented Sheikha Lubna. 

They all laughed and started eating. Jassem was relieved to finally see his father in a good mood. They made casual conversation about family issues as they ate. Princess Sara was recently appointed as the honorary President of the Female University Students Association of Bahrain, and she talked about her first meeting with the administrators. For nearly five years, Princess Hessa, the King’s daughter, was the honorary President of this association but now that Hessa was older and had two children to attend to, the title was passed to Princess Sara.

Suddenly the King changed the subject back to Jassem’s work. “Did you say you will meet with a Chinese contractor next week?” he asked.

“Yes Father, next Tuesday. This is the same firm that is building the Emirates tower in Dubai. I think they can give us the best deal. Last week, I was talking to Sheikh Makhtoom's younger brother, and he was very happy with this company,” responded Jassem.

“We should go with the American firm,” said the King.

“But their bid is higher than the Chinese firm, which has a good reputation for quality and speed of delivery,” said Jassem.

Sheikh Hadi looked at his son for a second. “Money is not the only consideration,” he said while chewing a small bite of food. “Go with the American firm as the primary contractor, and then they will include any company that you want as the subcontractor,” he continued.

 

Jassem was planning to exclude the American firm from this contract and was shocked to hear his father’s command.

“But father, that might not be in Bahrain’s best interest,” said Jassem.

The King suddenly stopped chewing and stared at him. How dare his son questions the wisdom of his decision, he thought to himself.

Sheikha Lubna and Princess Sara both recognized the anger in the King’s face. Princess Sara anxiously pinched Jassem’s leg under the table.

“I know what is in Bahrain’s best interest, and I want you to choose the American firm,” said King Hadi with a determined and commanding voice. Jassem wanted to talk, but Sara pinched his leg again, harder than the first time. Jassem could also see in his mother’s face that she wanted him to be quiet. 

“Is that understood?” asked the King.

Jassem felt a burst of anger deep inside and wanted to shout his opposition to his father’s order, but he managed to control himself. 

“Yes father.”

Despite being twenty six and enjoying the title of Crown Prince, he still didn’t dare challenge his father on any issue. 

The King was still staring at him angrily. Jassem looked down at his plate without saying a word. It was not difficult for anyone to recognize that he was trying to control his anger. The King looked at his food and took a bite without saying anything.  

Everyone at the table was quiet for a few seconds.

“So what else did you do today?” asked King Hadi.

“Nothing important – just some administrative work,” replied Jassem.

He was lying and the King knew it. Earlier that day, Jassem had a meeting with a Professor of Sociology at Bahrain University named Jaber Ubaid, who was involved in a grass roots campaign to boycott American products and by all accounts was regarded as one of the most active leaders of the boycott campaign in Bahrain. What Jassem didn’t know was that his father’s secret agents were watching him and reporting his daily activities to the King. So King Hadi already knew about Jassem’s meeting with Professor Ubaid. This was the second time in less than two weeks that his older son was hiding something from him. The King was furious, but he didn’t say anything. 

After the lunch was over, King Hadi returned to his office, which was located on the opposite side of the palace.

“Didn’t I warn you not to question your father’s orders?” said Sheikha Lubna to his son after the King was gone.

“Mother, I have also told him the same thing,” added Princess Sara.

“But Mother, you watch the news, you see what is happening in Palestine and how the Americans support the Israelis day after day. Instead of awarding new contracts to American firms, he should close down their military base in Bahrain. Where is his sense of Arab honor? Where is his sense of obligation to the Palestinian cause?” asked Jassem.

He would have never said these words in front of his father, but it had always been easy for him to share his thoughts with his mother. 

“Don’t you dare question your father’s honor! He cares about the Palestinian people more than you can imagine,” replied Sheikha Lubna with an angry but low voice.

She looked at the two maids that were standing near the entrance to make sure they didn’t hear her.

“I think he likes the Americans more than the Palestinians,” responded Jassem as he nervously played with his spoon.

“He cares about Bahrain and does what is best for our country. Don’t you dare disrespect him! Jassem, you are putting your future at risk with this attitude.”

“Jassem, you shouldn’t speak like this about your father!” added Princess Sara, who routinely sided with her mother-in-law whenever she got into an argument with Jassem. She knew that being supportive and subordinate to Sheikha Lubna was a win-win situation. Not only did Sheikha Lubna adore her, but even Jassem was happy deep down that his wife was in good terms with his mother – something that most men could only dream of when marrying a well-educated woman from a prominent family.

Jassem understood what his mother was trying to say, but he didn’t think his father would actually take away his title as the country’s Crown Prince.

After a few minutes, Prince Jassem left the table and stood in a corner of the large dining room to call his secretary, Marvin. Marvin was a Filipino man in his thirties who worked as Prince Jassem’s personal secretary at the Bahrain Tourism Board. Poor Marvin had no control over his work hours. His entire life was at the discretion of Prince Jassem. Today was Friday, the official day of rest and prayer in Bahrain and all other Muslim countries, but Marvin was still in the office at two o'clock in the afternoon.

Sheikh Hadi had appointed Jassem as Director of the Bahrain Tourism Board only six months prior. This was Prince’s first serious job, although he had been the honorary president of several institutions and corporations ever since he was eighteen years old. Jassem enjoyed his new position, which gave him control over the country's tourism investment budget. Never mind that he always had to clear the major decisions with his father.

Jassem made several phone calls, one after another, for about twenty minutes until Sheikha Lubna and Princess Sara stood up and maids united Prince Mohammed with his mother. Prince Jassem and Princess Sara kissed the Queen's hand as they said goodbye to her and left the King's palace. They could have driven to their palace but decided to walk through the underground walkway that connected the King's palace to the other palaces in the royal residence compound. In winter, when it was much cooler, they would have walked to their palace through the beautiful garden that filled the open spaces among the palaces but now it was far too hot for an outdoor walk in the afternoon. Prince Jassem's palace was only a short walking distance from the king's palace. Jassem's was one of the three palaces that surrounded the main palace. One of the other two palaces was reserved for Jassem's younger brother, Prince Hamed, who was still single and lived in the main palace. Prince Hamed would only be allowed to live in his own palace after he was married.  The third palace was being used as a guesthouse for special dignitaries.

During the brief walk, Princess Sara pleaded again with Jassem not to ignore his father's commands. "If you don't follow the King's order, he can take away your responsibilities and you will be back to being an honorary president of charities and universities. Is that what you want Jassem?" 

"My dear, if I just follow my father's orders, I am no more than an honorary president."

"At least you have the entire Tourism Office report to you, and you are involved in its day-to-day affairs. Jassem please, for my sake, for your son's sake, don't disobey your father. I'm very worried about how he might react and so is mother," pleaded Princess Sara.

Jassem kept quiet. He felt like a coward, and he dreamt of how he would have governed Bahrain differently if he was the King in that moment. He would have officially boycotted all American products and American contactors to let them know that they will have to pay a price for their blind support of Israel.

****

Prince Jassem looked at his watch. It was ten minutes before nine o'clock. He had already skimmed through the Chinese firm's proposal and now had ten minutes before his meeting with its representatives. He was familiar with other works of the CinCon Construction Company. CinCon had already established a reputation in the oil sheikhdoms by constructing two of the largest towers in Dubai. Jassem knew that he had no choice but to reject this firm's bid in favor of Americans and felt very frustrated. He also felt bad about going through with this meeting for show.

He pulled out the American proposal, turned to the cost summary page, and put it next to the Chinese offer. For completing the exact same project, the American bid was $272 million compared to the Chinese bid of $195 million. Seventy seven million was a lot of money. He thought about all the things that the Tourism office could have done with seventy seven million dollar. Bahrain's population was only six hundred fifty thousand. He took out a calculator and divided seventy seven million by sis hundred fifty thousand. The extra cost of giving this project to the American contractor was $118 per Bahraini man, woman and child. One hundred and eighteen dollars per person! he thought to himself.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door and looked up. It was Nidal, his personal assistant. "The CinCon representatives are here, Your Highness."

Nidal al-Shafi was a well-educated Egyptian man in his early thirties. King Hadi hired Nidal in 1995 to look after Jassem when he began his university studies in England. Nidal had just graduated from the University of London when he was offered this unusual job, which entailed looking after Prince Jassem while he was studying in England.  He had been recommended to the Bahraini King by a wealthy Egyptian businessman who had close business ties with one of the King's brothers. This wealthy businessman happened to be Nidal's uncle. Initially, Nidal accepted the offer because the pay was good and it gave him a chance to stay in England a few more years. Over time, however, he came to appreciate the luxuries of being close to a wealthy royal family. He was more than just a personal assistant to Prince Jassem. He was also a confidant and, on occasions, a mentor to him.

Jassem looked at Nidal for a few seconds silently. "Tell me, Nidal. If I didn't agree with my father's decision on some important issue, let’s say a major government decision, do you think I should stand up for what I believe is correct?"

Nidal smiled as he tried to come up with an answer. Everyone in Bahrain’s Tourism Office addressed Prince Jassem “Your Highness,” but Nidal had earned the privilege of being informal with him when no one was around.

"No Jassem. I don't advise you to challenge his decision or disobey his orders under any circumstances. But if you want to disagree with him, I suggest expressing your concerns very respectfully."

"But how far do you think I should go if I really believed that he is wrong?"

"Not too far. Knowing Sheikh Hadi, I advise you to be cautious."

Prince Jassem looked at the cost figures for a few seconds then stood up and walked to the conference room for a meeting that he knew was pointless. He was joined by two advisors who were both civil engineers affiliated with the Development and Planning Department of the Tourism Office.

The Chinese engineers were very enthusiastic in their presentation. They offered a detailed report on the project’s timetable and cost structure. Their package also included a generous penalty for any delays beyond the project completion date. By the end of this meeting, Jassem was even more convinced that CinCon was best qualified for this job. Alas, he had to award the project to the Americans. After the CinCon representatives left, Prince Jassem asked his office secretary, Marvin, to send a driver to the University of Bahrain to bring in a visitor. He had invited Professor Ubaid to join him for a private lunch.  

When the Professor arrived, Marvin took him to the large elegant conference room adjacent to Prince Jassem's office and asked him to wait there for the Prince. Large pictures of King Hadi and Crown Prince Jassem decorated one of the walls, while the remaining walls were covered with large posters of Bahrain’s ongoing tourism projects and various tourist attractions. Plates and utensils for two were already placed on one corner of the large conference table. Instead of sitting at the table, Professor Ubaid walked around the room and viewed the images. Nidal, who had tried to discourage Jassem from meeting with Ubaid to no avail, had suggested that it might be better if Jassem invited the Professor to his office instead of going to Bahrain University again. Jassem had developed an interest in Professor Ubaid after reading one of his articles in a Lebanese newspaper and watching his interview with an Al-Jazeera reporter about the boycott movement in Bahrain. 

Professor Ubaid was slowly walking around the large reception room and looking at the posters when Jassem entered.

“Hello Professor, welcome!” said Jassem as they walked toward each other and shook hands.

“Hello Your Highness. It’s a pleasure meeting you again,” replied the Professor. “Mashallah! These projects are very interesting!” he continued as he pointed to the posters. 

“Thank you. With God’s blessing, most of these projects will be ready in less than three years. Then we will be in a much better position to compete with Dubai for tourists,” said Prince Jassem. 

“Well, actually, we might be better off if we lose some types of tourists to Dubai. I wouldn’t mind at all if some of the Saudi men who come here for the weekends went to Dubai instead!”

This was a rather blunt comment that Prince Jassem was not expecting to hear from Ubaid, although deep down he agreed with it.

“I understand your concern Professor. Our development plan is primarily oriented toward family tourism,” said Prince Jassem. Although the Bahraini government tolerated the night clubs that served alcohol and allowed men and women to openly socialize with each other, most ordinary Bahrainis were opposed to them. These entertainment centers were popular with Saudi men who often escaped the cultural restrictions of their own country by short weekend visits to Bahrain. On two occasions in recent months, groups of Muslim youth had rioted in the tourist neighborhoods of Manama and some had even attacked the Saudi tourists.   

The conversation soon turned to the boycott movement against American goods, as they sat behind the table to eat. In their first meeting last Friday, the Professor had enthusiastically explained to Jassem how the boycott was spreading to various parts of the Arab world. His vivid description of how the middle school and high school students in Bahrain were volunteering to prepare and distribute the list of American brands to consumers in shopping malls had left a profound impression on Jassem. It was because of that conversation that he found the courage to question his father’s order for awarding the Durrat al-Bahrain project to the Americans. 

Professor Ubaid explained the latest steps that his team was taking to expand the boycott. “God be praised, the boycott is gaining more support every day. We now have middle school student volunteers standing in front of most stores and distributing the list of American products that are being sold there so that consumers know which brands to avoid.  The campaign has been so effective that many stores are voluntarily pulling American-made products off the shelves,” explained Professor Ubaid with enthusiasm.

“I’m glad the boycott is spreading. This is the least that we can do to show our solidarity with the Palestinians,” said Jassem. 

“And the good news is that it is spreading to many other Arab countries. There are now active boycott committees in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and several others,” said Ubaid.

Then he went into detail of what was happening in some of these countries and how national boycott committees were staying in touch with each other by email, sharing their experiences with one another, and giving each other advice. Prince Jassem was listening with enthusiasm and occasionally nodding his head in support.

After listening to the Professor for most of this time, Jassem finally asked a question that had been occupying his thoughts for a few days.

“Professor, you have been involved in this boycott movement since November 2000 and you have seen it grow and spread to many Arab countries, but do you really believe that it is going to alter the American’s foreign policy? As you know, I personally support the boycott, but I know that the American economy is very large and what they sell to Arab countries is only a small fraction of what they sell to the rest of the world. Why should Americans care if Arab consumers don’t buy their products? What matters to them is oil and we are not boycotting that,” asked Jassem.

Professor Ubaid was gently nodding his head and smiling as he listened to Prince Jassem. That was because he had heard this question many times and had an answer for it ­– an answer that in his own mind was very convincing.

“Your Highness, we are doing this as a matter of principle. Palestinians are getting killed and injured every day, and we can’t do anything to end their suffering because no Arab government dares to stand up to Israel or America. By organizing this boycott we, as Arabs, are expressing our solidarity with the Palestinians. We are telling Americans that you can’t have it both ways. You can’t be a friend of Israel and sell your products to Arabs at the same time. You are right about the fact that the boycott will not hurt the American economy. But it sends them an important political message,” explained Professor Ubaid. He still had more to say but Prince Jassem interrupted him.

“I don’t think they care,” he said.

“Even if they don’t care now, they will care in the near future, because we are not going to stop here. This is just the beginning,” said the Professor with a confident smile. “This is just the beginning, Your Highness,  just the beginning.” 

“But even if people in every Arab country boycott all American products, it will still have a minor effect on Americans. Don’t you agree?” asked Prince Jassem.

“That is correct. But we will not give up,” replied the Professor. “In the next stage, we are going to focus on government purchases of American products and all the contracts that Arab governments award to American companies. Most of American exports to Arab countries are heavy machinery and sophisticated products that are purchased by government agencies – things like supercomputers, aircrafts and high-tech equipment. Once we spread the boycott to the public sector, then it will seriously hurt American companies, and the American government will have to think hard about its priorities.”

These remarks reminded Prince Jassem of the Durrat al-Bahrain project, which he had to award to an American contractor under pressure from his father. He felt a jolt of anger deep inside followed by a feeling of guilt for not daring to challenge his father’s decision.

“But Professor, the majority of Arab governments will not go along with this plan. I don’t see how the grassroots boycott committees are going to convince the governments to go along with this boycott,” said Jassem and added, “So far, not a single Arab government has endorsed the boycott movement.”

“It’s not the job of the committees to convince the Arab governments. They can only mobilize the people, and it is the people who will put pressure on the governments. You see, Your Highness, this is what the Americans call ‘power of the masses.’”

Jassem looked at him for a second without speaking. Knowing that Ubaid was a well-educated intellectual, who was familiar with the nature of Arab politics, he was surprised by his logic.

“But dear Professor, the Arab governments are not democracies as you are well aware. People don’t have much of an influence on government decisions. We are not talking about a country like England where people can make their voice heard through elections and public demonstrations. If my father decides to do something, he will do it. He will do it even if 90% of Bahrainis are opposed to it. Half the Arab governments are getting financial aid from the United States and many others like Bahrain, Kuwait and the Emirates believe that they need American military support to survive. They would never risk these interests by formally supporting the boycott,” said Jassem.

Professor Ubaid was surprised by this comment. He did not expect such a critical observation from someone who was going to be the King of Bahrain one day. He felt that it took a lot of courage for a high-ranking member of the Royal family to share such candid political opinions with an ordinary person. But on the other hand, he realized that this comment was compatible with what he had learned about Prince Jassem from his previous meeting with him and from talking to others who knew him personally.

Bahrain is a very small country, and it is not difficult to meet people who have had personal contacts with the royal family. He now felt more confident in his initial belief that Prince Jassem could be a valuable ally to Bahrain’s boycott movement. It was now time to take this conversation to a higher level and to test Prince Jassem’s interest.

“Your Highness, the opinion of ordinary people might not carry much weight with the rulers, but there are always some important people inside every regime that are influential in governmental decisions. We are not only mobilizing the ordinary people, but we are also reaching out to the policymakers. Your Highness, you yourself can help the boycott movement through the Tourism Department. When you award a contract for a tourism development project, you have to choose to award it to an American, European or Chinese firm. I urge you to keep the Palestinians in mind when making these important decisions.” 

Again, a few moments of silence passed as Prince Jassem looked at his mentor.

“I wish it was that simple Professor. But unfortunately, it is much more complicated,” he said, not wanting to talk about the recent contract that his father had forced him to award to the Americans.

Ubaid did not ask for any details either. “With the help of God, you will be able to overcome these obstacles over time. What matters is that everyone does his best. This is a personal Jihad for all of us.”

“To be honest Professor, I’m not very optimistic. I don’t think any Arab leader that I know has the courage to do anything,” said Jassem. 

 “Don’t lose hope, Your Highness. You and young leaders like you in many Arab countries can make a difference. I pray to God that His Highness Sheikh Hadi lives a healthy and long life, but one day you will replace him. Even if your influence is limited for now, you will be ruling Bahrain one day and will be able to do your share for the Palestinians then.”

As Jassem listened to these remarks, his thoughts shifted to the Durrat-al Bahrain project again.

“Professor, do you remember the project that I mentioned last week?” asked Jassem.

“Durrat al-Bahrain?”

“Yes. I told you that as an act of solidarity with the boycott movement, I would try to prevent this project from being awarded to the Americans. Unfortunately, the decision is beyond my control, and it might still go to an American company.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Ubaid and they were silent for a brief moment. “But Your Highness, aren’t you in charge of tourism-related projects?”

“I wanted to give the project to the Chinese, but Sheikh Hadi favors the American firm,” said Jassem. “I’d like to assure you, Professor, that I did not change my mind. It was beyond my control. I support the boycott movement with all my heart.”

What good is my support if I’m not willing to act on it? Jassem thought to himself.

“Your Highness, in all honesty I’m not surprised by Sheikh Hadi’s decision, although I wish it was different. No Arab government has supported the boycott movement despite the fact that it has swept the region like a contagious fever. If they weren’t afraid of mass revolt, most of these leaders would have tried to stop it to please the Americans.”

“But why do you think that is the case Professor? I have seen how emotional my father gets when he watches the images of Palestinians that are murdered by the Israelis. He knows that American support is the key to Israel’s strength,” asked Jassem.

“You know your father far better than me or anyone else. I can’t speculate on what he is thinking, but what I have observed is that some Arab leaders think that if they buy American products or invest in America or award government contracts to American firms, they can somehow convince the Americans to support the Palestinian cause. They have tried this for many decades and keep doing it, despite the fact that it will never work.”

Jassem nodded his head in approval as he listened. The conversation continued as the maids cleaned up the table and served them sweets and tea.

Professor Ubaid left Prince Jassem’s office a few minutes before two o’clock. Sheikh Hadi’s informants in the Tourism Development Board had informed him of this meeting between his son and Ubaid while they were still having lunch. He received an audiotape of their conversation at four o’clock.  

****

  

Prince Jassem and Nidal visited two construction sites in the afternoon before Jassem finally returned to his palace for the evening. He was looking forward to a quiet evening with Princess Sara but, as he approached the living room, he recognized the voice of his mother who was playfully cooing Prince Mohammad. But she was not the one holding him. It was Prince Hamed who was standing near Sheikha Lubna and Sara and rocking Mohammad.

“Hamed! So good to see you! Welcome back!” said Jassem as he walked toward his brother.

Hamed stopped rocking and handed Mohammad to his mother before walking toward Mohammad. The two brothers hugged and kissed one another. Hamed had left for London three weeks earlier.

“We weren’t expecting you back for another week,” said Jassem.

“I missed this handsome prince so much that I decided to shorten my trip,” said Hamed as he looked at Mohammad.

As Prince Jassem walked toward his mother to kiss her hand, his brother approached Princess Sara.

“Come to Uncle Hamed. Come to Uncle Hamed,” he said to Mohammad as Sara carefully passed the infant to him.

Hamed was rocking and cooing his nephew again.  They were all looking at Hamed and Mohammad.

“Mashallah, he is growing so fast and learning new things every day.  Look what I taught him today,” said Hamed.

Then he threw Mohammad up in the air with all his strength. Throwing children up gently is a fun activity that most infants and toddlers enjoy, but Hamed threw Mohammad way too high. Jassem was shocked and shouted “Nooooo” as he jumped up to rush toward his son. Before he was even standing up, Mohammad was back in Hamed’s arms, but he threw the baby up in the air again.

“Stop it! Don’t!” shouted Jassem with anger. Mohammad was still cooing and smiling.

“Relax brother, he is fine.”

“You are throwing him too high. Are you mad?” shouted Jassem as he grabbed his son from Hamed’s arms. To his total surprise, Princess Sara and Sheikha Lubna suddenly broke into laughter, as did Hamed.

“Got you! Got you!” he said between his loud laughs.

Mohammad was still cooing despite all the commotion and shouting. Jassem’s mood shifted from rage to confusion as he watched the strange behavior of his family.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked, as his attention shifted from Hamed to Sara and then to his mother.

Suddenly, he realized that the reaction of Mohammad was also odd. Why wasn’t the baby disturbed by what had happened and why was he still cooing? Jassem looked at Mohammad.

This was the first time that he looked at his son carefully since he had entered the room. It was not his son that he was holding in his arms. It was a doll replicate of Mohammad that looked and felt exactly like him. He stared at the doll for a few seconds. His anxiety subsided but he was still in shock and breathing heavily. Hamed had a reputation for pulling pranks on his relatives and friends and had played tricks on his older brother on several occasions before. But from Jassem’s reaction, Hamed could tell that this was the most shocking prank that he had played on his brother so far. The resemblance of the doll to Mohammad and its natural feel was unbelievable but what had made it more real was the recorded cooing sounds of Mohammad, which were coordinated with the doll’s lip and hand movements. This was not an inexpensive doll.

This wasn’t nice at all!” said Jassem while trying hard to control his anger. Hamed was still laughing loudly.

“I really scared you this time didn’t I?”

Jassem would have shouted at and cursed Hamed had it not been for the presence of his mother. He put the doll on the sofa and turned his angry gaze at Sara “Where is Mohammad?”

“He is sleeping in his room,” replied Sara as she and Sheikha Lubna realized how much this prank had angered Jassem.

“Don’t you ever again involve Mohammad in your stupid pranks. Do you understand? This wasn’t funny at all. This was sick,” shouted Jassem at his brother. Hamed stopped laughing and just looked at his brother.

“Hey, what are you getting so upset about? This was just a prank, and you have to admit it was a good one. You could never pull off something like this in a hundred years,” replied Hamed.

“It was not funny at all!” shouted Jassem with an even louder voice as he stood up.

 

“Jassem, that’s enough,” said Sheikha Lubna. “Sit down both of you.”

Jassem had too much respect for his mother to ignore her command. They both sat down and were quiet for a few seconds.

“Jassem why are you overreacting? It was just a practical joke, and Mohammad was never involved,” said Sara.

“Brother, do you know how much I paid for this doll? I’m sorry if I scared you but that was the idea to begin with. You know that I love Mohammad and that I would never do anything to harm him,” said Hamed in a conciliatory tone. Then he rose and walked toward the door.

“Hamed wait!” said Jassem. “You are right. I’m sorry if I overreacted.”

Then he rose and caught up with his younger brother before he reached the door. He gently grabbed his brother’s right arm. Hamed stopped and turned around. The two brothers looked at each other.

“You are right. It was a good prank and you really got me. I’m sorry I got angry. I really thought it was Mohammad in your arms. Don’t go.”

“Hamed don’t go. Come sit down,” said Sheikha Lubna. Hamed obeyed his mother’s command.

They talked about Hamed’s stay in London for a while. Then conversation shifted to family issues.

“Jassem, have you apologized to your father yet?” asked Sheikha Lubna.

Jassem had met his father a couple of times since the argument but had not offered an apology.

 

“No!” replied Jassem. Sheikha Lubna was waiting for a longer explanation but Jassem remained quiet.

“Mother I reminded him twice to apologize, but he is so stubborn,” said Sara.

“What happened?” asked Hamed. No one replied to Hamed’s question, and they were quiet for a few seconds.

“Do what he asked of you and apologize to him. He knows what is best for our country, and you should trust his judgment. Besides, he is the King and it is better for your own future not to question his decisions,” said Sheikha Lubna.

“Could one of you tell me what happened please?” asked Hamed.

“Mother, I’m also thinking of the honor and dignity of Bahrain,” replied Jassem.

Hamed was still waiting for an explanation.

“It’s about the Durrat al-Bahrain Resort contract. Father wants me to award this contract to an American firm.  I told him we should go with the Chinese firm and we had an argument,” explained Jassem.

“An argument with father? You should definitely follow mother’s advice and apologize. Last year, we bought $15 million worth of athletic equipment for high school students. Father told me to buy at least half of it from two American firms, and I did not argue with him,” said Hamed.

“Well, you are only an honorary head of the Bahrain Sports Authority, and I like to be more than that,” replied Jassem.

Hamed did not appreciate this comment.

“When it comes to real decisions and large spending projects so are you, my brother. So are you!”

Sheikha Lubna sensed that his sons were about to have another heated argument.

“That is enough. You both have important responsibilities and must respect each other. Jassem listen to me. It is better for your own future if you apologize and obey your father’s instructions.”

“I have no choice but to give the contract to the Americans, but I will not apologize for opposing this decision. I don’t want to be an honorary figurehead,” responded Jassem.

Sheikha Lubna and Sara tried again to change Jassem’s mind but to no avail. Later that evening, a summary report of this gathering was delivered to Sheikh Hadi.

As usual, Prince Jassem and Princess Sara joined the other members of the royal family at the King’s palace for lunch after the Friday noon prayer. Most of the table conversation circled around Hamed’s trip to London and the prank that he had pulled on Jassem with a little help from his mother and Princess Sara.

Jassem and Sheikh Hadi exchanged a few words about the operations of the Tourism Authority. Jassem told him that he had informed the bidders of the winner for the Durrat al-Bahrain project and, per his father’s order, the American contractor was selected. He did not offer an apology, and Sheikh Hadi did not bring up their earlier disagreement on this issue either. Before leaving the gathering to go to his office, Sheik Hadi reminded Jassem to attend a formal reception that he was arranging for an American diplomatic delegation on the evening of Wednesday, June 8th. Three American Senators and the American Ambassador were attending, along with the Prime Minister and several members of Bahrain’s cabinet. Prince Jassem would be attending in his official capacity as the Crown Prince.

The American delegation was touring the region to gather support among friendly Arab leaders for the Mitchell Commission recommendations for ending the violence between Israel and Palestinians.  The Mitchell recommendations were released on May 20^th but the news of its release was overshadowed by the Dolphinarium discotheque suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on June 1^st that killed twenty one Israeli teenagers. Although people in Arab countries were delighted at the news of this successful attack, they commonly believed that it was only a matter of time before a massive Israeli retaliation took place.