Oman

Oman is an Arab country located in the southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, surrounded by the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. It has been an independent state since the 18th century and ruled by a sultan—Qaboos Bin Said al-Said—since 1970.

Almost the whole population (2,904,165 in 2004) is Muslim, consisting of the Ibadi, Sunnī, and Shi'a communities. The Ibadi Muslims constitute the largest group—between 40% and 75%. They were named after Abdallah Ibn Ibad al-Tamimi, an early Muslim scholar. Ibadi Muslims, seen by the Sunnī Muslims as an evolution of Kharijism, an early schism in Islam, have been present in Oman since the end of the seventh century. They also live in small communities in Algeria (Mzab) and Tunisia. Omani traders introduced Ibadism in east and central Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi), where they have built their own mosques.

[Page 954]The Ibadi Muslims give particular importance to the way of selecting the leader of the Umma—the Muslim community: In theory, any Muslim can be a candidate if he is a male, is mentally and physically fit, and has a good knowledge of religion and politics. According to tradition, the selection should be done by consensus among the community. Their rituals, mosques, and institutions are, however, very similar to those of Sunnī Muslims.

The Sunnī Muslims in Oman follow the Hanafi rite. The Shi'a Muslims (Ithna'ashariyya, or “Twelvers”) are mainly of foreign descent and have been present for centuries in the Sultanate: ‘Ajam (Iranians), Bahraini, Lawatiyya (from Sind, Pakistan). They are now called Omani.

Besides the Omani population, there is a large community of immigrants, coming mainly from Asia: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. The majority are Sunnī and Shi'a Muslims, but there are also some Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and Sikhs. A smaller community consists of European expatriates working in the petroleum industry and the military; most of them belong to the various Christian communities. The foreigners have relative religious freedom, and several churches and temples are to be found in the city of Muscat as well as in the important cities of the country.

Among the non-Muslim cults, Hinduism occupies a special place, historically speaking, since the country has sheltered Indian communities for centuries—for instance, the Banyan, who had their own temples in the country, were an important component of Omani economy until the end of the 19th century, funding some of the Omani trade caravans going to east and central Africa.