However you approach this story—public relations coup, diplomatic riposte, very smart politics—the appointment of a Jewish woman as Bahrain’s ambassador to the US is quite an accomplishment. It’s also an in-your-face statement to other Arab countries and a demonstration of religious tolerance that many want to see from the Arab world.

Bahrain’s Jewish community is small, with some estimating it at only 60 people. Nevertheless, the Nonoo (also Noonoo or Nunu) merchant family is an important part of Bahrain. Religious tolerance has also been a hallmark of Bahraini society, with a Sunni majority governing a Shi’a majority, that majority being divided among ‘Usuli and Baharna or Akhbari sects of Shi’ite Islam. This tolerance, perhaps derived from the quietist Akhbari sect, has been eroded over the past decade or so, but remains signal in the Arab world. The extent of the presence of this Akhbari sect in Saudi Arabia was been a point of contention between me and Prof. Juan Cole, who has written on the Shi’a of the Persian Gulf Arab States.

Of course, Saudi Arabia is not going to be nominating a Jew to an ambassadorship any time soon as there’re no Saudi Jews.

Barrier-Breaking Bahraini Masters Diplomatic Scene
Nonoo Is First Jewish Ambassador From an Arab Nation
Nora Boustany

It takes charm, courage and chutzpah to master the Washington diplomatic scene, and Houda Ezra Nonoo, Bahrain’s first female ambassador here and the first Jewish ambassador of an Arab country, is well on her way.

The granddaughter of Iraqi Jews who migrated to the tiny archipelago in the Persian Gulf, Nonoo came into public view in 2004 as a founding member of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society. She helped bring attention to the plight of domestic workers and other foreign laborers and worked to promote the rights of women and children.

In 2006, Nonoo was appointed to the Shura Council, the upper chamber of parliament. She replaced her brother Ibrahim, the first Jewish member of the council, who decided to devote himself to his business concerns.
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