Analyzing Oman
2. The Omani Identity:Delving into the psyche of how Omani's are distinct from other Arabs. What are the major influences on Oman history. What are the distinct fault lines in Oman? Is Ibadism, really the defining identity of Oman? Who are the major power players in Oman?
Here is part 2 of the Series. I will be updating Part1: Forget Chahbhar, Socotra & Dubai, Here's Oman-Oman's Geopolitical Importance to India in a subsequent piece. If I don't put this up and start, I guess it will forever be stuck in limbo.
Disclaimer: This is a personal opinion piece wherein I have tried to distill my experiences in the Gulf states, particularly Oman into a short article showing that out of the GCC countries, Oman holds out from the rest. Positioned at the tip of the Gulf, with slightly better relationships to India, I believe that this is a country which needs our special attention and understanding
A quick look at Oman perched on the South East tip of the Arabian Peninsula gives an idea of how Oman is in a way on the fringes of what we imagine as Arabia. Shaped by geography, history and trade links over the ages Oman has developed an identity slightly distinct and oriented from the other Arab nations in the Peninsula.
2.1.1 Oman Geography- For the benefit of the readers unacquainted with the Geography of Oman, let’s quickly put down a short description of the geography of Oman.
Political Map:
Physical Map:
Most of the population lives in Muscat and the narrow coastal strip around the Batinah coast. The Al Wusta, Ad Dhahirah & ad Dakhiliya regions have traditionally been barren and part of the desert. In fact the Rub al Khali, or Empty Quarter extends into Oman through the ad Dhahiriyah and al Wusta Regions- And it is here that the oil fields of Oman lies. Dhofar on the southern border adjoining Yemen has been always distinct with the people clinging on to their culture. It is Muscat which is the focus of Oman, the traditional trading sea port melting pot of cultures. Today Muscat and its suburbs account for about 1/3rd of the population.
2.1.2 Key Events in Recent History of Oman
1) Trade with Africa. For over a thousand years Oman has been at the forefront of trade (ivory, wood, gold and most improtantly slaves) with East Africa, till it was forcefully displaced by the new rising power- Britain. Mombasa, Zanzibar were all Omani colonies. Till some time ago, Zanzibar was an integral part of Oman (Influence can be seen in the large number of Zanzibari's who are present in Oman (still speak Swahili).Even today, Zanzibari's are slightly looked down upon by Omani-Omani's who still refer to them in personal conversations as lowclass/ slave/ miskeen. In fact in the mid 19th century, for a time the capital of Oman was shifted to Zanzibar. The kingdom was split between the two royal princes with ‘British mediation’ with Zanzibar becoming separate
2) Relationships with Indian Sub-Continent: Trade fuelled the Omani relationship with the sub-continent and till about fifty five years ago, parts of the Makran coast of Baluchistan (including the famous Gwadar and Chah Bahar ports) belonged to Oman. In fact there is a distint sub-group of Omani's settled primarily around the old trading port of Muscat who speak fluent Urdu and have been at the forefront when it has come to taking jobs. In fact during the Dhofar revolution, it was the Balushi's or Baluchi's who formed a sizeable portion of the support for the Sultan. In fact a telling quote on this comes from the Sultan himself where he differentiates the Omani attitude from other Gulf states, which nurse pan-Arab dreams-
"While other Gulf Arabs prefer to get on a camel and go west into the Arab desert, Omanis prefer to be on a boat and drift towards India."
3) The Jebel Akhdar War- During the early part of the twentieth century, Oman was split into two parts, coastal Muscat under control of the Sultan and the Interior Oman, west of the Jebel Akhdar mountains, under control of the religious Ibadi Imam based out of Nizwa. Post discovery of oil, there was fallout between the Sultan and the Imam. With the aid of the British (SAS and RAF mainly) the Sultan gained control over the whole of Oman. For quite some time till late fifties, the rebellion festered on with active connivance of the Saudi’s who provided help and shelter to the ousted Imam. Even today, there is lingering distrust with the Saudi’s because of this. Also, Nizwa and its surroundings continue to be the most conservative region of Oman and there are underlying differences with other Omani’s. A good read on the war can be found
here.
4) Dhofar revolution and ascension of Qaboos bin Said to the throne of Oman- Following the overthrow of the Imam, the current Sultan’s father followed an extremely isolationist policy (perhaps fearful of the changes that British and American influences were causing in neighboring Trucial states and Bahrain). His policies of isolation and concentration of power led to an uprising (abetted by USSR, China, Saudi) in Dhofar. In a few years time the communist rebels over ran half the country, and it was at this juncture that with British help the current Sultan took over reins of power (Two excellent books, albeit from a slightly British perspective are:
While the military campaign (helped by the Brits and Iranians –under the Shah) weakened the rebels and drove them back it was the Sultan’s focus on development and efforts to spread oil riches among the population that finally killed the rebellion. A lot of the powerful ministers and oligopolistic business houses who dominate the Omani landscape today were among the first supporters of the Sultan who grew as the newly founded Sultanate grew (something like the chaebols of Korea).
5) Relationship to other GCC Arab countries- In a way Omani's are looked down upon by other petro rich Arab countries because of their comparatively poorer state. Travel around GCC and you can immediately notice the differences. Except for Bahrain, which basically is a non-entity, nowhere else do you see locals working in blue collar jobs. Omani's have to. At one time, Oman, or rather Muscat + Nizwa, held were the most powerful country in Arabia. Over time it has ceded territory to all it's neighbors (mostly peacefully) but fault lines exist. Refer
The Buraimi Dispute to see the rift with Saudi Arabia. If one were to look at the map of Oman, one can see numerous enclaves like Rowdah, Musandum and Mahda which are embedded within UAE- legacies of past unresolved disputes.
Even today there are rumours that UAE (primarily Abu Dhabi) is interested in the area and in 2011, there were rumours that some very senior retired Army and Air Force officers were arrested following an attempted coup plot instigated by UAE (the primary trigger was the capture of two Land Rovers of Pakistani citizens of UAE who had been distributing money during the Arab Spring protest in Sohar and had a large collection of unauthorized communication and arms).
An effect of this can be observed at the Oman- UAE border which till five years ago was relatively free, but today the entire border area which runs mostly of unpopulated barren land has been fenced and the government is putting up charitable social housing projects and building up infrastructure to stake its claim.
6) Arab Spring and effects on Oman- In a society which is not as affluent as neighboring Gulf countries; where locals feel that expatriates have taken over their jobs leading to youth unemployment and there were a select few that have benefited from the state (corrupt ministers), protests erupted in Sohar and Salalah in Feb 2011. What set this apart from other Arab Spring protests were the fact that protesters came out with pictures of the Sultan with slogans like “You are our Father listen to us. Help us.”
In a way the protests were both an affirmation of their expressed loyalty for the Sultan and complaints against the current set of Ministers. The most violent incidents were torching of a Lulu in Sohar and police firing killing a few people when they tried ransacking a police center to free some detained protesters. The Sultan reacted firmly and quickly to announce a new round of job creation through the Ministries (primarily in Royal Oman Police and Army), sacking two high level ministers (including his perceived left hand man- Macki, the Economy Minister and the chief of Royal Oman Police (his perceived right hand man). At the same time, Oman availed of loans from a fund (for the first time in it’s history) setup by UAE and Saudi in GCC to help governments overcome such protest and installed a unemployment dole (this is significant because even in the face of a major disaster –Cyclone Gonu, Oman government had not taken any help from others. In a country without electricity, fresh water and food for seven days the government had turned back trucks from UAE with relief supplies to stress their independence- This is hearsay from people who were present here at that time).
2.2.1 All Arabs Are Created Equal But Some Are More Equal Than Others-
Of all the GCC Arabs, Omani's stand out in their dress from the rest. perhaps under the current Sultan, this distinction from other Arabs, a distinct National identity has been emphasized. This distinction is not superficial, and traveling through the Gulf, one gets a distinct sense that Omani's tend to hold on to an identity which is different.
Going back through time, Oman has been a sea faring nation with ties more to the East along the IOR Rim, than to the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. If one were to go through the histories of Mombasa, Tanzania, one can see the Omani influence. Another distinction is that all other GCC states are ruled by Sunni’s and have their jurisprudence based on Sunni interpretation but Oman is Ibadi.
2.2.2 Splits within Oman: Modern Oman is a new construct, less than fifty years only. Only with the ascension to the throne of the current Sultan did the country change its name from Sultanate of Muscat and Oman to Sultanate of Oman. Scratch the surface and you find tribal and regional identities. There are religious, tribal and regional groupings which have been held together under the firm and unifying rule of the Sultan, but there are still centrifugal tendencies.
This is end of part A of this section. Will come back with more by the weekend. Could any guru's give me an idea of how I can upload a few images of pie-charts or like into a post?
