An article published by the wonderful Dr Amal Ghazal of Dalhousie University, Halifa, Canada will be of interest to Omani scholars and others interested in the history of Oman.
Here is the abstract published in the International Journal of Middle Easter Studies (IJMES): International Journal of Middle East Studies (2010), 42:105-122 Cambridge University Press
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010
doi:10.1017/S0020743809990559
Articles
THE OTHER FRONTIERS OF ARAB NATIONALISM: IBADIS, BERBERS, AND THE ARABIST-SALAFI PRESS IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD
Amal N. Ghazal c1
Article author query
ghazal an Google Scholar
The historiography of Arab nationalism has tended to concentrate on the secular press from the Mashriq, especially the Cairo–Beirut axis, at the expense of the religious nationalist press and the non-Mashriqi one. There is often an assumption that reliance on the secular press from the Mashriq alone can provide a clear picture of Arab intellectual life and that a proper analysis of that thought can be confined to a few intellectual centers in the eastern Arab world. Although there has never been an explicit claim that such a focus is the end of the story, there have not been enough attempts to look beyond the Cairo–Beirut axis and beyond its secular press organs in search of a broader story of the depth and breadth of Arab nationalism. This article addresses this imbalance by examining an Arabist-Salafi press network that operated between Algeria, Tunisia, Zanzibar, and Egypt and involved members of two sectarian communities, Sunnis and Ibadis. This Arabist-Salafi press network created a public sphere of intellectual engagement in which Salafism and nationalism were interwoven, producing a nationalist discourse transgressing post World War I borders of identity and linking the three layers of nationalism—the territorial, the Pan-Arab, and the Pan-Islamic—together. These layers not only intersected but also legitimized one another.
Correspondence:
Amal Ghazal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; e-mail: amal.ghazal@dal.ca
Thursday, 14 January 2010
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
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
Sunday, 22 November 2009
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
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
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Omanis count cost of funds fraud
MUSCAT // When each of the 20 people were swindled out of 1,500 rials (Dh14,300) by a jomeea financing scheme, they had no option but to report the “crime” to the police. Even before they made the complaint, they knew they had little hope of getting their money back.
Jomeea is a tradition practised in Omani communities to raise funds for individuals to finance the purchase of a property, such as a farm, or the construction of a house. Each member of the jomeea, on a rotational basis, collects a fixed amount of money from the other members each month.
Members in a jomeea group can be as few as five but regularly number more than 30. The amount of money changing hands ranges from 50 rials to 2,000 rials a month, depending on the financial status of participants. Each member receives the amount he contributed when his turn comes. The person receiving the money continues to contribute until the round ends.
Jomeeas are completely legal, though susceptible to dishonest members, and frowned upon by bankers here.
Hundreds of people across the country have been swindled over the years, but there are no statistics because the jomeea is not an officially sanctioned practice and the government has repeatedly said it does not get involved in private financial arrangements. The Central Bank of Oman, in a recent statement, refused to regulate the practice, saying it was an arrangement incompatible with standard international financial practices.
For Mohammed Shaikhan, 36, a mechanical engineer, the jomeea due would have been 28,500 rials with which he planned to partly finance his house in Muscat. Mr Shaikhan said a member of his jomeea left the country for Africa after collecting the money in his round – and never returned.
“The man just disappeared with our money and we believe he is out of the country. I suspect he is somewhere in Africa, where he cannot be found,” Mr Sheikhan said. “It is embarrassing to talk about it that 20 people can be swindled by a seemingly nice man.”
Mr Shaikhan and his friends’ case was rejected by the court since there was nothing in writing about the arrangement. The judge said that the matter “must be solved amicably between the concerned members of the jomeea, like it always has been over the years”.
They are not the only ones whose cases have been rejected by the courts. Cheated people do not usually talk about their predicament because of the shame.
In rare circumstances, courts have convicted people for defrauding their jomeea partners. Laila Moosawi, a nurse, who was swindled out of more than 3,200 rials by a jomeea, said she and other members successfully prosecuted the man responsible for the crime, but she did not see a penny of her investment.
“Though we had nothing in writing between us, we paid by cheques and the bank easily traced the money in his account when it was his turn to receive the cash. We managed to put him in prison on that basis. It helped because he was in the country and admitted what he had done,” Mrs Moosawi said. “We did not get our money because the criminal said that he spent it. Though we had the satisfaction of seeing him get a two-year sentence, we are severely short of cash. The man will come out eventually from jail to spend the 16,000 rials.”
The man said he spent it, although it is possible he had secreted it away. Failure to pay back the money factored into his sentence.
In many instances of jomeea fraud, swindlers stop paying once they receive their portion of the money and either disappear or cook up stories of their houses being burgled.
Despite the risk involved, jomeea financing remains prevalent.
“Taking a bank loan, according to Islam is haram [forbidden] because of the reebah [interest]. Jomeea offers people interest-free financing, which gives them assurance that the money they receive is not tainted with usury,” Jalil al Badai, a tribal elder, said.
There are no Islamic banks in Oman. Deeply religious Omanis decline interest on their savings and give instructions to their bank managers that the interest be given to charity. They almost never take bank loans, and this is why the practice survives.
Not all people who participate in a jomeea group join because of their religiosity. Some do it to avoid paying steep interest on bank loans. Omani banks at the moment charge up to eight per cent interest per year.
Mr al Badai has written to the Central Bank for jomeea financing to be recognised by the government and regulated by its financial laws. He has not given up hope that the government will one day regulate jomeea.
“This is not Islamic finance nor is it the conventional western one that we see being practised. Jomeea is an Omani tradition to raise money for the community. It has been practised for centuries and only in the last 10 years do we see people with bad intentions joining. I think the Central Bank must play its role to encourage this tradition from going out of extinction,” Mr al Badai said.
Financial analysts said the local banks’ shareholders saw jomeea as a threat to their business, and some believe that this was the reason it would never be regulated.
“If jomeea is accepted and regulated by the government, then that may well restrict the profitability of the local banks in the long run,” Jassim Battash, a financial analyst with Seeb Investment Services, said.
According to Central Bank statistics, more than 70 per cent of the credit sanctioned by local banks are classified as personal loans.
Reproduced from The National: Omanis count cost of funds fraud
Jomeea is a tradition practised in Omani communities to raise funds for individuals to finance the purchase of a property, such as a farm, or the construction of a house. Each member of the jomeea, on a rotational basis, collects a fixed amount of money from the other members each month.
Members in a jomeea group can be as few as five but regularly number more than 30. The amount of money changing hands ranges from 50 rials to 2,000 rials a month, depending on the financial status of participants. Each member receives the amount he contributed when his turn comes. The person receiving the money continues to contribute until the round ends.
Jomeeas are completely legal, though susceptible to dishonest members, and frowned upon by bankers here.
Hundreds of people across the country have been swindled over the years, but there are no statistics because the jomeea is not an officially sanctioned practice and the government has repeatedly said it does not get involved in private financial arrangements. The Central Bank of Oman, in a recent statement, refused to regulate the practice, saying it was an arrangement incompatible with standard international financial practices.
For Mohammed Shaikhan, 36, a mechanical engineer, the jomeea due would have been 28,500 rials with which he planned to partly finance his house in Muscat. Mr Shaikhan said a member of his jomeea left the country for Africa after collecting the money in his round – and never returned.
“The man just disappeared with our money and we believe he is out of the country. I suspect he is somewhere in Africa, where he cannot be found,” Mr Sheikhan said. “It is embarrassing to talk about it that 20 people can be swindled by a seemingly nice man.”
Mr Shaikhan and his friends’ case was rejected by the court since there was nothing in writing about the arrangement. The judge said that the matter “must be solved amicably between the concerned members of the jomeea, like it always has been over the years”.
They are not the only ones whose cases have been rejected by the courts. Cheated people do not usually talk about their predicament because of the shame.
In rare circumstances, courts have convicted people for defrauding their jomeea partners. Laila Moosawi, a nurse, who was swindled out of more than 3,200 rials by a jomeea, said she and other members successfully prosecuted the man responsible for the crime, but she did not see a penny of her investment.
“Though we had nothing in writing between us, we paid by cheques and the bank easily traced the money in his account when it was his turn to receive the cash. We managed to put him in prison on that basis. It helped because he was in the country and admitted what he had done,” Mrs Moosawi said. “We did not get our money because the criminal said that he spent it. Though we had the satisfaction of seeing him get a two-year sentence, we are severely short of cash. The man will come out eventually from jail to spend the 16,000 rials.”
The man said he spent it, although it is possible he had secreted it away. Failure to pay back the money factored into his sentence.
In many instances of jomeea fraud, swindlers stop paying once they receive their portion of the money and either disappear or cook up stories of their houses being burgled.
Despite the risk involved, jomeea financing remains prevalent.
“Taking a bank loan, according to Islam is haram [forbidden] because of the reebah [interest]. Jomeea offers people interest-free financing, which gives them assurance that the money they receive is not tainted with usury,” Jalil al Badai, a tribal elder, said.
There are no Islamic banks in Oman. Deeply religious Omanis decline interest on their savings and give instructions to their bank managers that the interest be given to charity. They almost never take bank loans, and this is why the practice survives.
Not all people who participate in a jomeea group join because of their religiosity. Some do it to avoid paying steep interest on bank loans. Omani banks at the moment charge up to eight per cent interest per year.
Mr al Badai has written to the Central Bank for jomeea financing to be recognised by the government and regulated by its financial laws. He has not given up hope that the government will one day regulate jomeea.
“This is not Islamic finance nor is it the conventional western one that we see being practised. Jomeea is an Omani tradition to raise money for the community. It has been practised for centuries and only in the last 10 years do we see people with bad intentions joining. I think the Central Bank must play its role to encourage this tradition from going out of extinction,” Mr al Badai said.
Financial analysts said the local banks’ shareholders saw jomeea as a threat to their business, and some believe that this was the reason it would never be regulated.
“If jomeea is accepted and regulated by the government, then that may well restrict the profitability of the local banks in the long run,” Jassim Battash, a financial analyst with Seeb Investment Services, said.
According to Central Bank statistics, more than 70 per cent of the credit sanctioned by local banks are classified as personal loans.
Reproduced from The National: Omanis count cost of funds fraud
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Oman to Fund a New Library in Uzbekistan
MUSCAT — A new library at the Oriental Studies Institute in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent will be built with funds provided by the government of Oman, according to an agreement signed between the two countries on Monday, the second and final day of an official visit here by Islam Karimov, the President of Uzbekistan.
The ‘Abu Alraihan Albairuni’ library will house more than 26,000 manuscripts, 85,000 historical messages, most of them in the Turkish, Uzbek and Farsi languages, as wells as 10,000 manuscripts in Arabic, currently in the possession of the institute.
Most of these rare documents date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. UNESCO has listed them in its World Heritage List as there are no similar copies anywhere else in the world.
The accord was signed by National Economy Minister of Oman Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki and Vladir Norov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.
Several other deals were also concluded between the two countries including regularising air transportation and to promote cooperation in tourism.
The two leaders, during the meetings, also exchanged views on the latest developments at the regional and international levels, an official statement said.
Source: Khaleej Times: Oman to Fund a New Library in Uzbekistan
The ‘Abu Alraihan Albairuni’ library will house more than 26,000 manuscripts, 85,000 historical messages, most of them in the Turkish, Uzbek and Farsi languages, as wells as 10,000 manuscripts in Arabic, currently in the possession of the institute.
Most of these rare documents date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. UNESCO has listed them in its World Heritage List as there are no similar copies anywhere else in the world.
The accord was signed by National Economy Minister of Oman Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki and Vladir Norov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.
Several other deals were also concluded between the two countries including regularising air transportation and to promote cooperation in tourism.
The two leaders, during the meetings, also exchanged views on the latest developments at the regional and international levels, an official statement said.
Source: Khaleej Times: Oman to Fund a New Library in Uzbekistan
Monday, 5 October 2009
Oman urged to preserve its crumbling old houses
SAMAIL, OMAN // Historians are urging Oman to include privately owned ruins, crumbling in rural areas, in the government’s preservation programme to stop the erosion of the country’s heritage.
The sultanate spends 25 million rials (Dh249.5m) a year renovating and maintaining such historical buildings as forts, mosques and watchtowers all over the country, but the programme does not include privately owned buildings in abandoned villages.
In towns like Tanuf, Bid Bid and Barakat Mawz in the Al-Dakhaliya region, as well as towns in Dhofar, some ruined buildings lie in isolation, abandoned by descendents now living in modern villas.
Most of them are severly damaged, and if they disappear, so will the last glimpse of Oman’s rich heritage.
Historians say some of the ruins are 700 years old and were occupied by noted Omanis who shaped the history of the country.
“These houses were occupied by dignitaries of the areas and preserving them will help make the residents proud of their heritages,” Mohammed al Siyabi, a historian based in Samail, a small town about 150km from Muscat, said.
“The government should not allow them to crumble just because they are owned by the descendants of the previous owners. If they go, then a large chunk of our heritage goes as well.”
By way of example, Mr al Siyabi cited the houses of Ahmed bin Majid and Ahmad bin Naaman that are now lost forever. Bin Majid was a sailor who helped Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer, find his way from Africa to India in 1499.
Bin Naaman was the first Arab envoy sent on a goodwill journey to the United States, in 1833 by the sultan of Oman.
But government officials said the preservation programme managed by the ministry of national heritage and culture did not have the jurisdiction of renovating privately owned houses.
“We only manage the state-owned old buildings and we cannot interfere with private areas no matter how old they are unless the owners of these ruins are willing to hand over the ownership to the government.
“We cannot spend state money to renovate private houses,” Said al Farsi, the head of the ministry’s planning unit, said.
In Nizwa, just 400 metres from the foot of the massive citadel built in the 17th century by former rulers of Oman, are ruins that, according to one of the descendants of the houses, were inhabited by the town’s traders 500 years ago. They say the ruins are the reason the Al-Ya’arubi imams built the fort because of the thriving trade of the time.
“One of the ruins was a home of my family for six generations. The last of the inhabitants moved out just 30 years ago when it was too uneconomical to maintain the houses. That was the beginning of the decay and abandonment of the village,” Salim Yousuf, a 71-year-old silversmith in Nizwa, said.
Some observers are questioning how people like Mr Yousuf could afford to build modern two-storey villas just a kilometre away from the old ruins but do not have the money to repair the homes of their ancestors.
“The majority of these people are either well-to-do businessmen or well-paid civil servants who prefer to live in luxury rather than in cramped and ancient little houses.
“They can afford to repair their ancestral homes but want government grants to do it for them. They would rather watch local history crumbling down than spend their money,” said Khamis Fraish, a retired gatekeeper of the Bibi Maryam mausoleum at Qalhat, a town near Sur, in the Eastern region.
Some companies help the preservations of local ruins, such as the mausoleum, a site that does not fall under the government grant nor is claimed by any private owner.
“Out of a social responsibility programme, we donated money for the repair of this mausoleum because we produce gas from the town and we would like the locals to be proud of their heritage.
“But we don’t do the privately owned ruins for obvious reasons,” Nasser al Kindy, head of corporate communications of Qalhat LNG, said.
salshaibany@thenational.ae
Source: The National, Oman urged to preserve its crumbling old houses
The sultanate spends 25 million rials (Dh249.5m) a year renovating and maintaining such historical buildings as forts, mosques and watchtowers all over the country, but the programme does not include privately owned buildings in abandoned villages.
In towns like Tanuf, Bid Bid and Barakat Mawz in the Al-Dakhaliya region, as well as towns in Dhofar, some ruined buildings lie in isolation, abandoned by descendents now living in modern villas.
Most of them are severly damaged, and if they disappear, so will the last glimpse of Oman’s rich heritage.
Historians say some of the ruins are 700 years old and were occupied by noted Omanis who shaped the history of the country.
“These houses were occupied by dignitaries of the areas and preserving them will help make the residents proud of their heritages,” Mohammed al Siyabi, a historian based in Samail, a small town about 150km from Muscat, said.
“The government should not allow them to crumble just because they are owned by the descendants of the previous owners. If they go, then a large chunk of our heritage goes as well.”
By way of example, Mr al Siyabi cited the houses of Ahmed bin Majid and Ahmad bin Naaman that are now lost forever. Bin Majid was a sailor who helped Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer, find his way from Africa to India in 1499.
Bin Naaman was the first Arab envoy sent on a goodwill journey to the United States, in 1833 by the sultan of Oman.
But government officials said the preservation programme managed by the ministry of national heritage and culture did not have the jurisdiction of renovating privately owned houses.
“We only manage the state-owned old buildings and we cannot interfere with private areas no matter how old they are unless the owners of these ruins are willing to hand over the ownership to the government.
“We cannot spend state money to renovate private houses,” Said al Farsi, the head of the ministry’s planning unit, said.
In Nizwa, just 400 metres from the foot of the massive citadel built in the 17th century by former rulers of Oman, are ruins that, according to one of the descendants of the houses, were inhabited by the town’s traders 500 years ago. They say the ruins are the reason the Al-Ya’arubi imams built the fort because of the thriving trade of the time.
“One of the ruins was a home of my family for six generations. The last of the inhabitants moved out just 30 years ago when it was too uneconomical to maintain the houses. That was the beginning of the decay and abandonment of the village,” Salim Yousuf, a 71-year-old silversmith in Nizwa, said.
Some observers are questioning how people like Mr Yousuf could afford to build modern two-storey villas just a kilometre away from the old ruins but do not have the money to repair the homes of their ancestors.
“The majority of these people are either well-to-do businessmen or well-paid civil servants who prefer to live in luxury rather than in cramped and ancient little houses.
“They can afford to repair their ancestral homes but want government grants to do it for them. They would rather watch local history crumbling down than spend their money,” said Khamis Fraish, a retired gatekeeper of the Bibi Maryam mausoleum at Qalhat, a town near Sur, in the Eastern region.
Some companies help the preservations of local ruins, such as the mausoleum, a site that does not fall under the government grant nor is claimed by any private owner.
“Out of a social responsibility programme, we donated money for the repair of this mausoleum because we produce gas from the town and we would like the locals to be proud of their heritage.
“But we don’t do the privately owned ruins for obvious reasons,” Nasser al Kindy, head of corporate communications of Qalhat LNG, said.
salshaibany@thenational.ae
Source: The National, Oman urged to preserve its crumbling old houses
Friday, 2 October 2009
Love is the tender trap in Oman
MUSCAT // It should be the happiest day of their lives but for many young Omani couples the custom of paying exorbitant dowries is placing their marriages under huge financial strain and leading to a growing number of unmarried women.
Across the Gulf, bride’s families receive money from the groom’s family, but in Oman the dowry sums can be as high as 10,000 rials (Dh96,000) in cash. The brides also expect to receive expensive jewellery that costs thousands more and, in most instances, a lavish ceremony that lasts several days.
“It is not right. It is time we break this bad habit because it works out negatively in our society,” said Fatma Fallahy, a 74-year-old marriage counsellor. “It is just pure greed that has got nothing to do with our tradition or religion. It also ruins the prospective marriages of many young people.”
One Omani man said that it cost him nearly 20,000 rials to marry his college sweetheart, money that would have moved them out of a rented accommodation and helped pay for their own house.
“By the time I paid the dowry, the five-star hotel’s reception cost, traditional ceremonies and gifts, I ... used up almost all my savings,” said Rashid al Habsi, a computer software engineer. “The message from my father-in-law at the time was: ‘you want her, then you pay for her’, but the money ended our dreams of owning a house for many years to come.”
Some men take crippling loans from banks to finance marriages they cannot afford so they can be with the women they love. More well-off families tend to help the grooms with the payments. In extreme cases, such marriages end in matrimonial disaster.
“My brother’s marriage ended just a year and a half later from both the financial constraint of running a family and blaming his father-in-law for putting them in a dire condition,” Mr al Habsi added.
Matchmakers, who are still used by most Omanis, say some men avoid marrying their compatriots, preferring low-cost weddings with foreign women.
“It is getting popular and the number is growing,” said Rahila Saif, a Muscat-based matchmaker. “They get married to Indian, Pakistani, Filipino and European women, and who can blame them? They get a fair bargain while our women struggle with local suitors.”
The number of unmarried women in Oman is growing. Although the government does not keep statistics, thirty years ago the age of marriage for women was between 18 and 22. Now, Mrs Saif said, women in their mid thirties are still looking for husbands.
The potential bride’s father usually sets the dowry fee when he wants to finance an expensive purchase or simply boost his bank balance, turning daughters into costly commodities. In villages, the most common purchase with dowry money is a farm, and in cities a property that can provide an income from rent.
“In some cases I know, fathers of the brides even buy bonds or invest the money in shares, things as ridiculous as that,” said Nasser al Khaboori, a Muscat-based investment banker. “They don’t really care that while they enrich themselves, they give their daughters and sons-in-laws a bad start to their marriage by cutting down their financial resources.”
Some women know nothing about their future husbands and are forced to marry by fathers eager to cash in.
Such marriages, which are usually practised in villages, involve much older men giving marriage proposals to the father, who chooses a groom for his daughter from the highest bidder.
“[It is] just like a goat auction. These men treat their daughters as livestock rather than humans,” Mr Khaboori said.
Fathers who demand huge dowries defend themselves by claiming the payment is their right.
“I have spent thousands for the upkeep of my children and I need a little compensation.” said Hamdani al Mansoori, a 66-year-old retired civil servant who married off three daughters at an average dowry of 4,500 rials each. “Besides, who says marriages are cheap? A man looking for a wife needs to prove his financial standing before making a proposal,” he said.
Mr Mansoori, who lives in Muscat, said he used the money to help buy a property from which the rent augments his pension.
sshaibany@thenational.ae
Source: The National, Love is the tender trap in Oman
Across the Gulf, bride’s families receive money from the groom’s family, but in Oman the dowry sums can be as high as 10,000 rials (Dh96,000) in cash. The brides also expect to receive expensive jewellery that costs thousands more and, in most instances, a lavish ceremony that lasts several days.
“It is not right. It is time we break this bad habit because it works out negatively in our society,” said Fatma Fallahy, a 74-year-old marriage counsellor. “It is just pure greed that has got nothing to do with our tradition or religion. It also ruins the prospective marriages of many young people.”
One Omani man said that it cost him nearly 20,000 rials to marry his college sweetheart, money that would have moved them out of a rented accommodation and helped pay for their own house.
“By the time I paid the dowry, the five-star hotel’s reception cost, traditional ceremonies and gifts, I ... used up almost all my savings,” said Rashid al Habsi, a computer software engineer. “The message from my father-in-law at the time was: ‘you want her, then you pay for her’, but the money ended our dreams of owning a house for many years to come.”
Some men take crippling loans from banks to finance marriages they cannot afford so they can be with the women they love. More well-off families tend to help the grooms with the payments. In extreme cases, such marriages end in matrimonial disaster.
“My brother’s marriage ended just a year and a half later from both the financial constraint of running a family and blaming his father-in-law for putting them in a dire condition,” Mr al Habsi added.
Matchmakers, who are still used by most Omanis, say some men avoid marrying their compatriots, preferring low-cost weddings with foreign women.
“It is getting popular and the number is growing,” said Rahila Saif, a Muscat-based matchmaker. “They get married to Indian, Pakistani, Filipino and European women, and who can blame them? They get a fair bargain while our women struggle with local suitors.”
The number of unmarried women in Oman is growing. Although the government does not keep statistics, thirty years ago the age of marriage for women was between 18 and 22. Now, Mrs Saif said, women in their mid thirties are still looking for husbands.
The potential bride’s father usually sets the dowry fee when he wants to finance an expensive purchase or simply boost his bank balance, turning daughters into costly commodities. In villages, the most common purchase with dowry money is a farm, and in cities a property that can provide an income from rent.
“In some cases I know, fathers of the brides even buy bonds or invest the money in shares, things as ridiculous as that,” said Nasser al Khaboori, a Muscat-based investment banker. “They don’t really care that while they enrich themselves, they give their daughters and sons-in-laws a bad start to their marriage by cutting down their financial resources.”
Some women know nothing about their future husbands and are forced to marry by fathers eager to cash in.
Such marriages, which are usually practised in villages, involve much older men giving marriage proposals to the father, who chooses a groom for his daughter from the highest bidder.
“[It is] just like a goat auction. These men treat their daughters as livestock rather than humans,” Mr Khaboori said.
Fathers who demand huge dowries defend themselves by claiming the payment is their right.
“I have spent thousands for the upkeep of my children and I need a little compensation.” said Hamdani al Mansoori, a 66-year-old retired civil servant who married off three daughters at an average dowry of 4,500 rials each. “Besides, who says marriages are cheap? A man looking for a wife needs to prove his financial standing before making a proposal,” he said.
Mr Mansoori, who lives in Muscat, said he used the money to help buy a property from which the rent augments his pension.
sshaibany@thenational.ae
Source: The National, Love is the tender trap in Oman
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