Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa

Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa (born in Muharraq in 1948) is the Queen consort of Bahrain as 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.

Personal life

Sabika bint Ibrahim married her first cousin,^[1] Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on 9 October 1968.^[1][2] She is 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 1942 and 1961. 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 1975).
• Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 4 June 1977).
• Najla bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 20 May 1981).

Public life

As the head of the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain,^[3] she has encouraged the expansion of women's political rights in Bahrain,^[4] encouraging women to vote in the 2001 elections,^[5] 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.^[6]

She is also the chief patron of the Society for Women and Children in Bahrain^[7] and has addressed the United Nations General Assembly on topics such as Children – future action and Children – programme implementation.^[8]

Titles, styles and honors

Styles of Queen Sabika
Reference style	Her Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Shaikha

Titles and styles

• 1948 – 9 October 1968 : Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
• 9 October 1968 – 14 February 2002 : Her Highness Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Princess consort.
• 14 February 2002 – 21 October 2009 : Her Royal Highness Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Queen Consort.
• 21 October 2009 – present : Her Majesty Queen Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Queen Consort.

Honours

•  Bahrain: Order of Ahmad the Victorious, First Class (2 November 2003).^[9]
•  Bahrain: Order of Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa (Wisam al-Shaikh ‘Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa), First Class (16 December 2008).^[9]

Ancestry

References

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 
• Human rights: annual report (2004 ed.), London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 2004, ISBN 978-0-903359-91-7 
• 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