A young person's observations on Oman
There are some excerpts which I would like to share with you:
"if we do things that our homestay families consider inappropriate, our homestay families will not tell us directly but contact [our advisor] and complain. They are going to make it seem as if everthing is peachy. Kind of the mindset of oman in general. If you read the newspapers you’ll notice that nothing ever goes wrong here."
"Sheik Hal Fahn, [ ] a very important imam came to speak to us. He used to work for Petroleum Development Oman(PDO) [ ]. He is the only person who was allowed to address the public in Oman when the Danish Cartoons came out.
Here are some things he said to us:-
- The most important value in Arabia is relationship. It's all about networking and exchanging info, supporting each other. He made it a fact to say that the west is all about self-reliance and independence. “In Arabia if I don’t know you there is no business.”
- The second most important value is Seniority, in the order of : Allah, prophet, sultan, government minister, tribal leader
- “Democracy will never work in this part of the world. We've lived too many years with these values."
"According the Quran a man can have up to 4 wives. The Sheik said that most men in oman don’t have more than one. However if they do it’s for the good of society. [ ] The Quran also says that he must treat each one of the equally. According to the Sheik it has nothing to do with sexual relations. This is a responsibility rather than a luxury."
"One of my peers was shown that movie of how September 11th was a conspiracy created by the U.S. government. [We were told] many Omanis still admire Osama Bin Laden because they don’t believe he had anything to do with the terrorist attacks. [ ]. They think Americans have no idea what goes on around the world. [In fact, we were told at the start that] most Muslims actually believe that the terrorists attacks are not done by Muslims at all and that it is someone else."
"Ahmed Ali M. Al- Mukhaini came to talk to us about Tribes, Patronage and Politics in Oman. [ ] Here in Oman there are no political parties, only tribes. His Majesty is an Al Bu Said, one of the biggest tribes here in Oman. He is of the Qahtani tribe which is from the south. The Nizari tribe is of the north. Ahmed told us that democracy is not appropriate for this side of the world."
Which makes one wonder about the efficacy of the Oman-US FTA as a tool for promoting democracy in the Middle East.
On visiting MacDonalds with Omani family and friends:
"The girls that are not in [my organisation] are uncovered. It makes me think badly about them. They are dressed in Western clothing. Their clothes are so tight. I can’t believe my eyes."Even though I have been away from the Middle East for several years now, I still blanch at the sight of girls and women in skimpy tops and dresses, and I will always put on an overshirt if I am wearing a sleeveless dress outside my house. Which just goes to show how strong cultural pressures can be to conform and cover.
The educational system in Oman and the rest of the Middle East is so bad. Based on memorization, nothing more. All of the important people here go elsewhere for their education. They don’t teach political science at the universities.
We knew the place where the museum was located. We thought. We took a taxi to what we thought was the museum block and proceeded to follow the signs. The first sign we saw pointed to an empty parking lot. Super. So after an hour and a half of walking through the hottest weather ever, we finally found it. [ ] To our “surprise” the museum was closed. More than closed actually. There were x’s all over the windows and doors. Way to go Omani tourism.I shall be interested to observe this student's commentary and reactions over the coming months. It's a refreshing perspective on the country, albeit, the young person is perhaps a little naive in thinking that the authorities won't mind.
More than one person has been so interested in the identity of this writer, that they have even written to ask me where the blog is.
I've stalled on putting a link in because I did write to this blogger by email asking for her views on being written about. She never replied.
Maybe she didn't have time, but she continues to post at omanistef.blogspot.com. Entries are erratic because, I suspect, that she is not always guaranteed access to the Internet.
The reason I say She is because she identifies on the blog as a woman and because of the name in her email address. Without any feedback from her, I still cannot say whether this is a genuine blog or some curious sort of spoof.
Note that all the comments assumed that the writer was male.
Sheik Hal Fahn who the writer refers to, is probably Shaikh Khalfan Bin Mohammad Al Esry, Islamic Scholar and Teacher of Theology and Human Development, who also works for PDO. Read what he said about influencing the West through the media following the publication of the Danish cartoons.
Pizza Queen who blogs as Nel Mezza dell cammin di nostra vita, complained that the Arab press didn't even try.
Comments
kay wrote:
Neo wrote:
Such a bad english grammer for a student writing a research proposal, and yet he has the Audacity to describe Oman to us.
Learn yourself how to write first before describing others people religion, politics, values and customes.
newsbriefs wrote:
Well, I have yet to discover how authentic this person is. I'm awaiting a reply. But the blog is definitely out there.
And I'm not sure whether the ability to write perfect English grammar is a barrier to having and expressing reactions to living in a foreign country.
After all, if an Omani goes abroad, I am sure that he or she will see good things and bad things - and write about them. Just ask Muscati. Although his English is very good.
Perhaps we should all be pleased that young people are prepared and willing to go and find out about other cultures.
And as for writing about Oman, I am reporting in large part what the young person quoted from Omanis who spoke to the group. That is not impression. That is reported fact.
The use of square brackets, [ ], is acceptable editorial practice. They show where I have edited and/or deleted content, to improve the flow of language, and also to protect identity.
Neo wrote:
My dear, half what he wrote is bull.
Conducting a professional research requires certain technique and data collection methods, such as qualitative or quantitative. And what he wrote about Oman is under no means represents Oman as a whole.
newsbriefs wrote:
Then Neo, please enlighten us as to what is bull.
Remember that the quotations I have given you comprise what this person has been told on coming to stay in Oman, as part of the 'acclimatisation' process of entering into the culture. How he or she should behave and what he or she should expect.
It is not a statement of research. It is a blog. The research proposal which I mentioned is something completely different and is on a valid academic project, which I have NOT mentioned.
The blog is simply a diary of what this person thinks on coming to Oman, the same sort of thing that most people who write on Blogger talk about. It would have nothing to do with the research.
Please don't confuse the two. Just because I mentioned that the person is doing research doesn't make the statements published on Blogger part of that research.
Nevertheless, it would be interesting to hear how YOU would brief a young American student on his or her arrival in Oman, and how he or she should behave in accordance with the culture of the country - while he or she is undertaking research.
Neo wrote:
Okay, than its I read your article wrong. I thought the research was about Oman, clearly they are two different issues.
In that case, he is free to talk about anything he wishes, its a blog after all and its a one mans opinion. Something I dont understand, what makes him so special for you to raise it up here.
There are thousands of people in Oman bloggin daily about Oman, in matters even more serious than this. He isnt special, just because he is an American and Young, doesnt makes him any different than others
For one thing, bigger percentage of Omani population knows that Al-Qaeda was behind 9/11. Hell the Guy himself admitted, it cant get clearer than that. The fact he mentions that us Omani think that incident as a conciperacy undermines us and insults our intelligence.
Another one, we may be polite, but if we have a guest and does wrong, than trust me we would take him/her aside and advice accordingly. The fact that he mentions that the parents went behind his back to complain, undermins us and its in direct suggestion that we Omanis are coward
The muesum was closed long time ago and there was an announcement about its closure. And I am sure even his so called country have muesum, parks being closed.
But to combined it with Oman tourism and being sarcastic about it its not right and again its an insult to Oman as a whole
And finally, NOTHING, I MEAN NOTHING in the above suggest a positive side of Oman, What I read was pure negative, makes you wonder whats this boys agenda to begin with.
Capice!
newsbriefs wrote:
Then that's fair enough Neo.
So with that in mind, the person has to approach the organisation that is caretaking him or her and tell it that it may have got its facts wrong (with reference to remarks about Al Qaeda and 9/11) or that they are out of date. And could the students please be offered a broader perspective amongst the speakers who come to address them.
And that is valuable feedback.
Bear in mind that this person is young, and the mode of expression is typical of that age group. I don't know if you have kids but you only have to look at Windows Live Spaces or Live Journal to get a feel for how kids express themselves.
There is actually a lot of positive stuff on the blog about the person's relations with the family. The writer is going through culture shock, and has admitted to homesickness. I am not giving a link (unless authorised) because I think this person is inexperienced, but also bright, and should be given a chance to find out things for him/herself without being exposed to over-harsh reaction.
Neo wrote:
Cool, thanks. FYI I run Omanforum.com, you will find tons of opinoin over there, this young boy is just a tip of an ice burg
Interesting. But where's the link to the new blog?