An uphill struggle for Omani herdswomen

MUSCAT // Herdswomen in rural areas are struggling to keep their traditional livelihoods as the market for meat and livestock in Oman is increasingly dominated by imports.

With the help of her three younger sisters, Zeena Salah, 36, a herdswoman from Mahut in the al Wusta Region, takes her flock of 250 sheep and goats from their pen to graze in the wadi every day, just 2km from her family home.

Ms Salah said she had been a herdswoman since she was 14, a livelihood she inherited from her mother, who died nine years ago.

In Oman’s rural areas, men often work on their farms growing vegetables and fruits while the livestock rearing is left to women because it is seen as less strenuous work. The farm, said Ms Salah, does not fetch enough money to provide for her extended family.

“So the livestock business makes up for the rest, which is much needed. But in the past five years, the business is being squeezed by traders importing cheap animals from abroad they literally flood the market. Our sales now depends only on rich folk who prefer locally bred livestock because we feed our animals with chemical-free feedstock,” Ms Salah said.

Statistics from the animal wealth department show that about 1.45 million livestock are bred in Oman, a country with a population of about three million people. About 25 per cent of the livestock are sheep, 30 per cent goats and the rest cows and camels.

Traders who import livestock argue that the statistics show there are not enough animals bred in the country to satisfy local demand, especially in the festive seasons.

“In the two Eids, the demand soars to more than a million goats and sheep slaughtered for private people and hotels celebrating the religious occasions,” said Khalfan Marhoobi, distribution manager of the Muscat-based Livestock and Meat Supply Company. “Then there is the daily consumption of meat sold at butchers and supermarkets. Locally bred livestock cannot cater for this demand.”

The key difference between the imported and locally bred meat, however, is the price. “A local live sheep or goat costs 60 Omani rials [Dh595]. You can get the same animals imported abroad from Somalia or Iran each for 40 rials. The difference is about a third of the price,” Hussain al Lawati, a 42-year-old customer, said.

This economic reality has created a thriving market for imported meat and livestock, which is dominated by imports from Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and India, butchers said.

“Butchers in Oman sell only meat imported from abroad because it is cheaper to buy from distributors bringing it from overseas than directly from Omani breeders. I don’t know any distributor supplying meat from local livestock,” Saifullah Khan, a Pakistani butcher in Muscat said.

There are no statistics available to the amount of meat consumed in Oman or total livestock slaughtered, but Mr Khan estimated that only a quarter of locally produced meat finds the market in the country.

“To me, local meat ensures freshness and is free of chemicals usually injected to foreign livestock to make animals fat. Besides, if we buy locally produced meat, we keep alive the tradition started by our ancestors,” Salim al Brashdi, a 36-year-old Omani consumer said.

As for the high price of local livestock, Mr Brashdi suggested the government grant subsidies to herdswomen, the same way farmers and fishermen get free farming and fishing equipment.

“I think something like that to suit herdswomen can be worked out,” Mr al Brashdi said.

Some herdswomen have urged the government to put a cap on the import of livestock or fresh meat from abroad to help them revive their trade but they are yet to approach a government department to file a complaint.

“The government must regulate the meat market and put a levy on imported meat and livestock to protect us. We cannot compete with importers who are dumping the livestock at a cheaper price from abroad,” said Sharifa Farah, 46, a herdswoman in Fanja, a town about 70km from Muscat.

Government officials were not available to comment, but livestock experts blamed local meat distributors for not doing enough to promote locally bred animals.

“Herdswomen rely heavily on selling livestock directly to consumers or they auction the animals in the local souqs in a town’s square. These women are not educated and they only know to sell the way it has always been done for centuries. Distributors need to help by cutting down on imports and promote local meat,” Khamfar Jaalan, 74, a retired ministry of agriculture official, said.

Mr Marhoobi agreed with this assessment but said all meat distributors must be required to sell local meat and livestock.

“What is needed is the compliance of all distributors. After all, the attraction of locally bred animals is that their food is not tampered by chemicals to fatten them up,” Mr Marhoobi said. “Besides, as nationals, we have the obligation to make sure this ancient trade survives.”

salshaibany@thenational.ae

Source: The National: An uphill struggle for Omani herdswomen

Widows of Oman call for end to prejudice

Saleh al Shaibany
Foreign Correspondent

* Last Updated: November 22. 2009 8:19PM UAE / November 22. 2009 4:19PM GMT

MUSCAT // Nasra al Mukhaini, 38, a widow for the past 18 months, has found that life without her husband of 16 years is even more difficult than she could have imagined.

He left her with three young children and, with no formal education, Ms al Mukhaini cannot find a job to support her family. They survive from the financial support of her two brothers.

“My brothers have their own families and they can’t spare much. They also are under a lot of pressure from their wives because my children and I are extra mouths to feed,” said Ms al Mukhaini , whose husband, who died at the age of 42, was a mechanic for an automobile dealership.

Many Omani widows struggle to lead happy lives after losing their husbands in a society that treats them as a burden and bad luck. Most widows struggle to cope with their grief, and few are able to find second husbands and build new lives.

According to a local superstition, anyone they marry is destined to die a premature death.

Women’s rights activists say the superstition is contrary to Islamic teaching, but is kept alive by men who do not want to be saddled with orphaned children and by women reluctant to share their husbands with second wives. “It is a stupid tradition, started by men who see orphaned children as a burden. Islam encourages men to marry widows to shelter them and protect them from loose tongues,” Ms al Mukhaini said.

In the Qur’an, Muslim men are allowed to marry four wives, and one of the reasons given is to help provide a new life for widowed women.

Widows in Oman also become the victim of gossip by other women whenever they interact with men.

“They sometimes get labelled as men grabbers if they get friendly with the opposite sex, just because they are available. These women don’t understand that being available does not mean a widow is on the lookout to get married to any man she makes contact with,” Ms al Mukhaini said.

Many young widows also find that their friends often abandon them after the deaths of their husbands. With no friends, their social lives become severely restricted.

“Jealous wives would never invite young and pretty widows to their houses. We are kept away from their husbands. They see us as a threat to their marriages. Of course, their fear is unfounded, but these girls suddenly find that they need to protect their marriages,” Sabiha Malik, 29, said.

Ms Malik’s husband died three years ago, leaving her with two children but no financial problems. She is a business graduate with a well-paying job and is able to support her young family.

“Perhaps a widow like me can be spared from financial problems, but there is no escaping the prejudice of the society. No one likes to admit it, but we are treated like social outcasts; it’s all smiles in front, but frowns behind your back,” Ms Malik said.

According to Ms al Mukhaini, widows are rarely invited to weddings, which are the main social gatherings of the year in Oman and a chance to get out of the house and spend time with family and friends.

“If you do [invite them], then bad luck would descend on the newlyweds. At worst, the bride will also become a widow, as if widowhood is a contamination that can be passed on. You can see the scale of the problem a widow has to face,” Ms al Mukhaini said.

Ms Malik called for social reforms and a change of attitude to eliminate misconceptions about widows.

“It is about time we change. I know it is difficult, but it can be done through symposiums backed by the media. But more widows must come forward to support the cause because most of them prefer to suffer silently. The bad luck associated with us is just part of a cruel tradition, started centuries ago. It is un-Islamic, too,” Ms Malik said.

According to the Qur’an, widows cannot marry again immediately but must wait four months and 10 days after the death of their husbands. The period is called iddah and its purpose is to establish whether the widow is pregnant or not to avoid confusion over who the father is if she gets married again. It is also to protect women from rushing to another marriage while they are emotionally vulnerable in the period of mourning.

Widows who have romantic relationships outside of marriage defend themselves and blame the communities they live in.

“We have biological needs and if we can’t get husbands, then who could blame us?” a widow who identified herself only as Salma said.

Some Omani widows marry foreign men after failing to find suitors from among their compatriots. “Younger widows marrying foreigners is a more popular option and a solution to their matrimonial problem,” Salma added.

But Salma said the call on tolerance from society to ease the suffering of widows hinges on educated women who have lost their husbands, like Sabiha Malik.

“Oman is not the place where women’s voices are heard easily. It will take time to be embraced by society. However, educated women can start the movement now by having roadshows, seminars and television talk shows to change that,” Salma said.

Source The National: Widows of Oman call for end to prejudice