Bahrain's 1st Jewish Woman Ambassador

Bahrain appoints Jewish ambassador

Bahrain lawmaker may be first Jewish woman in Arab world to be ambassador

Country of assignment unknown; some reports say she'll be ambassador to U.S.

Small Arab island nation of Bahrain has no diplomatic relations with Israel


(CNN) -- A Jewish female lawmaker has been named as one of Bahrain's ambassadors.


The new ambassador, Huda Azra Ibrahim Nunu, is a legislator in Bahrain's Shura Council.

Huda Azra Ibrahim Nunu is thought to be the first Jewish woman in the Arab world to be appointed to an ambassador's post.

It's not known where she will be posted, but some news reports said Nunu is slated to become her country's ambassador to the United States.

Bahrain, a small Arab island nation in the Persian Gulf, has no diplomatic relations with Israel. And, as in the rest of the Arab world, there has long been political hostility between Arabs and Jews over Israel.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Wednesday issued a decree naming Nunu an ambassador.

Bahrain is predominantly Shiite Muslim but has Sunni rulers. It is pro-American and hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

Nunu, a legislator in Bahrain's Shura Council, is a member of a Jewish community that numbers around several dozen.

Bahrain's population is more than 700,000, according to the CIA's World Factbook.