Empowering Women.... Government Style ..

Hey everyone! Again I apologize for not writing a regular basis. April/May/June are always busy, and I think that's the case for many other bloggers too. The blogging scene hasn't been very alive lately.

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It's Wednesday and instead of taking my 20 minute lunch break, I'll brief you on an interesting meeting that happened in Dhofar a few weeks back. It's no secret that Dhofar may seem a little neglected sometimes. It's not our fault that we're at the other end of the country and there's a huge empty space between the North and South. All media publications focus on activities and events in the capital, so yes we may seem a little left out sometimes.

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Anyway, many of you are aware that Oman's first women's symposium was held in Muscat last October (?) and His Majesty donated generous scholarships, etc to many women and declared Ocotber 17 to be Omani Women's Day. It was all very nice and dandy; however, again very few women from Dhofar were involved in the symposium and events of last October. Very very few. And so, after a few complaints and following instructions from you-know-who, the Minister of Social Development decided to have a discreet meeting with the women of Dhofar. I received an interesting call in November asking if I'd be part of the meeting. I accepted out of curiosity (always looking for something to blog about!). The meeting was postponed a couple of time, and finally it happened in March.

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It was all very odd. Names of attendees were selected very carefully, with documents going back and forth between Salalah and Muscat with names. Many names were eliminated (wonder why?). I was told not to say anything about it to anyone (Me? hah! Now that it's over, I don't think I can get into much trouble).

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The meeting happened at night. A mix of women attended from the women's associations, doctors, professors, managers, schools principals, and other women with power in the private and public sector. All women. I recognized many of them. It was kind of weird to see them all in the same room. There was no media coverage and particpants in this 'meeting' weren't allowed in without their cards. I just happened to forget my card in the car, so I begged the person at the door to let me in. They finally agreed.

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Anyway, Her Excellency arrived and the meeting started. She discussed different topics (none really of interest to me except for ....... ). She emphasized the importance of being active in Women's Associations (bah). She reminded us that most women in these associations are uneducated and do not work. She encouraged the working educated women to join and bring new talent and ideas. She mentioned that these associations would play an important role in the upcoming Shura Council elections (bah again). I took notes during the meeting but my notebook isn't with me right now, and my memory is malfunctioning today.

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Several women at the meeting brought up topics that they felt passionate about. I thought it was funny that two of the women refused to take the face veil off. Her Excellency looked at the gathering of women and said 'I'm not starting unless I see all faces', and they just looked blankly at her as if she hadn't said anything. She repeated it again and they just sat there being stubborn. Finally she gave up and started the meeting. Personally, I thought it was a little disrespectful. The women should have taken the veil off in the first place. There was no media coverage so no one was taking their pictures. And it was ALL WOMEN!

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An interesting point she brought up was the cases of Omani women marrying foreigners. She said (correct me if I'm wrong) that the Ministry of Social Development was working closely with the Ministry of Interior to make things E.A.S.I.E.R for Omani women who want to marry expats. The future is looking bright. If what she said was true, then Oman is on the right path to becoming a peaceful yet modern country. I think there is absolutley nothing wrong with marrying a non-Omani. In fact, in some cases like my friend Reality, it's actually more 'right' than her marrying an Omani.

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And so the meeting ended. I left before the Minister did, but as I was leaving I saw some women having private conversations with her. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but it was nice to see all my Dhofari sisters in one place together. However, I believe change comes from within. I hate how Omanis seem to think the Government is going to solve all their problems. It's not. We have to empower ourselves. We have to creat change, not wait for it to happen. But .....All is well in Oman... for now.