r/geography • u/Necessary_Wing799 Geography Enthusiast • 15d ago

Oman - a country rarely spoken about. What's happening there? Discussion

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Oman is located in a area we heat about a lot for an array of reasons - there are many famous and newsworthy spots close by from dubai to Doha to Iran and Yemen...... what goes on in Oman? Let us know how life is here and any relevant info on its current state....

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u/TundraForager 15d ago

From what my Omani friends have shown me, a more chill UAE/Saudi, pretty rich people, though they don’t really think it, less garish large developments like the Royal Opera house, beautiful place, lots of Subcontinental “migrant workers”. Omanis are pretty chill with life, pretty content with living in a non-representative monarchy 

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u/supapoopascoopa 15d ago

Absolute monarchy, sharia law, no free press or ability to criticize the government, torture, no due process rights

I give them credit for being peaceful but it only seems chill with respect to it’s neighbors.

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u/Physical-Arrival-868 14d ago

As a citizen of Oman Sharia law is not the absolute law of the land, it is seen as a guidance for our own laws. Also dynamics in Oman don't necessarily rely on free press, it's a paternalistic dynamic where we still have trust in our institutions to hold people accountable and resolve the concerns of the population, and until now, that's worked. People constantly criticize the government, you just can't criticize the sultan publicly, however it is common to find people trashing the ministry of education, the police, or the ministry of labour for policies they disagree with. Recently, media laws have relaxed in Oman, and we are having steady progress being made towards a freer press. Despite what democratic states may believe, In Oman as is the case with many non-democracies the people are not constantly in opposition with the state, and healthy communication between the two does exist.

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u/foggygoggleman 14d ago

The gnarliest part about this, is if let’s say you move towards that free press. When do you know it’s moved into propaganda press?