Recently, Qaboos has allowed parliamentary elections (in which women have voted and stood as candidates) and pledged greater openness and participation in government. Oman was the only Arab state to recognize Egyptian President Anwar Sadat‘s peace agreement with Israel.
His supporters point to his relative success in governing the country. By Gulf standards, Oman boasts good public order, middling prosperity, and a relatively permissive society. Since he acceded to the throne, Oman has broadened international relations, allowed newspapers, established high schools, built highways, opened hotels and shopping malls and spends a substantial portion of its dwindling oil revenues on health care and education.
According to an unconfirmed source, Oman remains one of the 9 countries that proscribe death for blasphemy, along with: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Mauritania, Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Gaza.
Although, Omani law prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, all religious organisations must be registered. Almost the entire Christian population is expatriates working in Oman. Foreign Christians are allowed to worship in private homes or on work compounds. Locals are strongly discouraged from visiting these compounds, since Christian materials are available there. Proselytizing Muslims (helping them leave Islam for another religion) is forbidden. Muslims that visit churches face severe persecution from family and society – and the government also take action including interning them as psychiatric patients.
The bottom line is simple, Oman’s dictator is paying for professional proselytizer positions at western universities and act that if committed in Oman would be a crime.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario