Oman Protests

I thought I should mention the current protests here in Oman, although considering everyone who has access to any form of public media is writing about it, I don't expect I shall have any groundbreaking news! However....
There have been a few protests around the country. Sohar has borne the brunt of it, where for whatever reason demonstrators became violent, vandalizing public property, setting fire to vehicles and breaking into the police station. The police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets and there are reportedly 2 or 3 people dead (the last time I checked). According to a source, some of the protesters who entered the police station were carrying guns (the ones which a lot of men traditionally take to gatherings).
In Salalah, there has been camp outside the Minister of State's head office for a few days now. This one is more peaceful, and apparently the protesters include older men who are keeping the youths in line!
In Muscat there is reportedly a protest being held outside the Majlis al Shura (Shura Council) so those who don't want to be involved are being advised to steer clear of the area.

So, the demands from the protesters appear to be varied, from the settling of debts to the separation of sexes in schools. I think the main (or more reasonable) ones though are more jobs, increased minimum wage, addressing wasta (influential connections), bigger subsidies on utilities (which by the way, the government heavily subsidises anyway) and better healthcare.

His Majesty, who everyone continues to pledge loyalty to, responded quickly. He has reshuffled the government by replacing or swapping ministers, announced that the Shura Council will have greater powers and that some of its members (who are elected by the public) will become government ministers. He has ordered that 50,000 jobs are to be given and that every unemployed person will receive 150 Rials per month. He is also apparently sending the minister of the royal court to Sohar to talk to the people. (I bet he is thinking...why me?!!)

The promise of 150 rials a month appears to have been a very clever tactic, as the crowds seem to have moved along to the Ministry of Manpower today.

Its important to note that Oman is essentially a peaceful country, as are Omani people. These protests are not a continuation of the protests elsewhere in the Middle East. People are asking for some policy changes, not an end to the leadership. There is no oppressive regime, and most Omani's adore the Sultan. And so they should.

More to come...although I hope good news!

A little discrepancy

About an earlier post where I mentioned a new French pastry shop...I said there was one in City Centre. Well it seems I didn't check my facts properly. There is a stall in Markaz al Bahja but the main shop is in Al Ghubrah (Al Safah Street, nearby the Chedi). I know this because I looked on the website this time : )
I haven't been yet but as I just looked at their photos I shall probably be there within the hour.

(This is a pic from their website)

Two great women

As a part of Muscat Festival there are a series of workshops and lectures being held throughout February. You may not have heard a lot about them because they haven't yet been well advertised...that might just be because they are not properly organised yet, as I've heard this is a trait of the festival!


Anyway there are two ladies I am really excited about...actually I'm desperate to go to see them. Arundhati Roy (on the 12th Feb) and Fatima Mernissi (on the 14th). For those who don't know Arundhati Roy is a novelist and political activist. Her only novel was The God of Small Things and she has published a lot of her essays and speeches. I read something about her being examined for sedition in India. No surprise, she's very outspoken but incredibly articulate.


Fatima Mernissi is a Moroccan Islamic feminist. Her work on Muslim women is amazing and she has written many books from her research.


To show the kind of women they are and their areas of interest I'm putting in some of my favourite quotes of theirs:

Arundhati Roy:

To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.

To call someone 'anti-American', indeed to be anti-American, (or for that matter anti-Indian or andti-Timbuktuan) is not just racist, its a failure of the imagination.

The mullahs of the Islamic world and the mullahs of the Hindu world and the mullahs of the Christian world are all on the same side. And we are against them all.

The only thing worth globalizing is dissent.

Fatima Mernissi:

In the Orient, femininity is under control. Like time, women are still and quiet. They can dance and dream, but not think. Thinking might interfere with men's pleasure.

The most subversive of all is the educated unveiled woman who can write independently and produce and disseminate information, because she breaks the Muslim ruler's monopoly over communication.

Is it possible that Islam's message had only a limited and superficial effect on deeply superstitious seventh-century Arabs who failed to integrate its novel approaches to the world and to women? Is it possible that the hijab, the attempt to veil women, that is claimed today to be a basic Muslim identity, is nothing but the expression of the persistence of the pre-Islamic mentality, the jahiliya mentality that Islam was supposed to annihilate?

(Note: The picture above is called Women Empowerment)

New happenings in Muscat

I've left it rather a long time since my last post...again. Its not that I lack material, its time! When you aren't busy you miss it and of course when you become very busy you just wish for some quiet time. But life's good.

1) I went to the new museum in Muttrah, Ghalya's Museum. If you're interested in Omani culture its great, although at the moment quite small (they have plans to add to it). Its basically a collection of artifacts from the period between 1950-1975, when Oman began to get lots of imports. Its interesting to see some very traditional items alongside things like Kraft cheese and Vimto. Its also interesting to see that a lot of the old items are still used today; if someone takes you around they'll tell you all about them.

2) I heard from a sweet-loving friend that there are 2 French pastry shops newly opened, one in Qurm City Centre and one in Markaz al Bahja. I've yet to try them but apparently the owner has some links with the Brasserie French restaurant in Muttrah and is a pastry chef so I'm sure they'll be good...better at least than the sickly crap that is cinnabon.

3) When I read the title of a Times of Oman article 'Muscat set to receive mega makeover' it prompted the words 'oh no'. There are plans to completely develop the city with parks, bridges, squares and complexes. Completion for the different projects will be between 2 to 10 years. I'm planning to go around photographing areas before they change (and then after). Although I'm disappointed that I'm already far too late to have seen Muscat as it was when there was only one shopping centre (Sabco) and little else, I'm glad I can see it now whilst there is still some of it left!! I suppose it will be nice to have a few more parks. I hope they create more places for people to play sports, because on the side of the highway or on a roundabout is not a great place to be kicking a ball around.

4) My blogger friend Dhofari Gucci wrote a post listing some of the small things which make her happy. I thought I would add a few:

- snatching some time with good friends
- having a productive and fulfilling day
- sleeping for an extra 15 minutes in the morning
- actually waking up on time to make breakfast!
- having time to read
- having a well-earned spa treatment!

I'm sure I've missed some things out but I'll be back soon!

Bits and Bobs

So after a bit of a dry, or should I say lazy, spell I've become productive again. In fact I thought of several topics to jot down so I'll just put them all into one post.

1) Apparently the government is planning to install traffic cameras at all of the major road junctions in the country. I'm just glad they're making further efforts to combat reckless driving. (I'll save my full rant for another post).

2) There is an exhibition showing rare photos of Oman in 1971 by French photographer Bruno Barbey. It is open everyday between 9am and 6pm at Bait al Baranda, Muttrah. I've also seen the book in Borders.

3) A couple of articles in the Times of Oman today made me smile. Firstly an article discussing the rise of spinsters in Oman and suggesting reasons both women and men are becoming more reluctant to marry. The second article commented on men's mistreatment of women; how they don't help around the house, even when a woman is working and perhaps even earning more money than her husband. Amusing...perhaps they should have used the second article to answer the first! : )

(I have to note though that it was nice to see the second article was written by a man).

4) On a personal note I've been travelling Oman some more, this time between Muscat and the Sharqiyah region; Sur, Ras al Hadd, Sharqiyah Sands and everywhere in between. The weather was amazing and it felt so good to get out of the city. Here are someof my favourite photos:

p.s. I'm getting incredibly frustrated...there is something wrong with Blogger that every time I try to fix the design of a post it doesn't work so things aren't spaced how I want them etc. I might end up throwing my laptop through the window. If you don't hear from me for a while you'll know why.

Wikiflood

There's no need for me to write a big article on the recent Wikileaks revelations of US diplomatic messages, when Muscat Confidential has done an excellent job here. I'll just mention some highlights which I found interesting.

Many world leaders haven't come off too well, although from what I've read I can't say much of it was shocking. Who knows why one of the stories most hitting the headlines is of a leak which mentions Libyan leader Gaddafi's relationship with his Ukranian nurse?! Exposed and embarrassed, the White House are condemning Wikileaks, one congressman even calling for it to be treated as a terrorist organisation!

Sultan Qaboos and Oman however have come off well. The Sultan's comments on international affairs such as Iraq and Iran show great wisdom and ration.

An excerpt in which he mentions women struck me the most; he said "Omani women were stuck in tradition and needed to be empowered to "take more charge" and to "be less shy". "Some customs (regarding women) shouldn't be kept".

The Sultan's views on the development of women are no secret; the progress he has pioneered says everything. The support and encouragement Omani women get is unique in this area of the world and its a great shame for any women who don't seize the opportunities given to them by this enlightened man.

Long live Sultan Qaboos and his Oman.

Prohibition Mission

More often than not these days, reading articles in the news about multi-faith communities gives me an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. The one I read which prompted this post describes another protest against the proposed construction of a mosque in Tennessee, US. Okay, this area of America isn't exactly famed for its religious broadness, but I can't help but be shocked at the lack of tolerance these people are exhibiting. The story is that the community's group of Muslims has outgrown their current mosque in a small office building and has bought some land on which to build a new one. A few non-Muslim locals who have got carried away with the hype of anti-Islamic feeling have in their small minds turned what is a mosque-come-community-centre to serve the small local Muslim population into some sort of centre for global domination reminiscent of a comic book plotline.

The response to the mosque has included vandalism, construction equipment on-site being set alight and a lawsuit. Even a couple of authoritative figures (one wonders how they came to be such) have put in their two cents. A Republican candidate for Congress commented that she was "opposed to the idea of an Islamic training centre being built in our community". Yes, right alongside their Christian training centres (if thats what we're now calling them).

Whilst theological debate is healthy, it is being used as a cover for prejudice and oppression. Scarily its beginning to feel as though all of these efforts towards so-called 'freedom' and human rights have been a waste of time and that humans are in some ways regressing. I don't suppose any of them have read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (major contributor: the United States) which permits every human to freedom of religion and "either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance". It shouldn't even need to be re-stated.

We can't just blame Americans, nor Christians for this transgression. The story is being repeated in many other parts of the world and among all religions. Egyptian authorities are currently in the news (again) for preventing the construction of churches, causing violent riots. In Syria too, the repression of Protestants and Evangelicals is being claimed as several buildings operating as churches have been closed down for not having licenses.

How, in our modern world of great scientific and technological advancement, is religion still causing such fear and fury?! At the moment Oman stands pretty well in terms of religious tolerance (at least officially). Lets just hope it doesn't get bitten by this dangerous bug.