And..... as per an SMS received now from the Oman News Agency, the author and the editor of the article (see below) are being referred to public prosecution and will have to go to court. The Week's website has been shut down. Sigh. Oman, get over it and get a life.
After crackdowns around the world recently on LGBT individuals (Russia, anyone?), Oman is bound to hit headlines soon enough. We've already made it to the BBC twice this week and our human rights reputation has been tainted enough recently.
Fifteen years ago, people were up in arms about journalists even 'suggesting' Oman had an issue with drugs. Now look at the amount of media coverage is dedicated to drugs. We have a hard time being realistic about our issues here in Oman if they don't fit in with the "Peaches and Cream Renaissance" portrait of Oman that our government has been trying to maintain since 1970.
By sending that message out to the public, the government has chosen to make a big deal out of one petty article. Everyone I know is trying to get their hands on the piece. Is this really the right course of action?
Oman is the best Gulf country, and in many respects one of the best countries in the world because of His Majesty.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't Oman set itself apart if the allowed SKYPE, stopped severe media censorship, allowed unmarried women and men to live together legally.
Wouldn't Oman see a healtthy and happier population who could openly address issues of diseases like cancer (hello Liwa), HIV (hello worldwide), abuse, rape, obesity (hello fatties), illiteracy, lazy local workers who are destroying this country with their apathy under the protection of Omanization.
His Majesty is a great person, literally. There are few leaders in the world who have personally sacrificed their lives to lead for the betterment of their people and country as a whole. Who has treated the expats with care and respect.
His Majesty was one hundred percent correct in sheltering the innocent Bedouins and Omani's from the rapid progress that has corrupted places like Dubai.
But progress moves too fast, and it has no become unhealthy to try to repress the truth. The internet, travel, and life in general is far more open than it was even in the 1990's.
Oman needs to make a giant leap forward, whilst keeping their wonderful healthy communities and families. Live in the truth.
The media still has to have standards, as any country does. Graphic sexual descriptions don't even exist in most western newspapers. It is considered in poor taste and irrelevant to the facts. Facts can be expressed without vulgarity.
The law is important, and yes, must be respected. But when the people feel the law has not progressed as fast at they, the law then becomes a sort of fascism and repressor (hello Egypt).
People explode, such as the now famous journalist from THE WEEK...he couldn't keep what he saw and knew inside anymore and he risked everything but writing a poor piece of a subculture everyone knows exists. He was wreckless, and not thinking because he has been silenced for so very long...he exploded and sadly will now be held accountable for his humanness, and error of judgement.
People riot when they don't understand what is going on, silence from gov't and lack of transparency. I laughed at the students who walked out of colleges because their teachers gave them failing grades. hahaha.... Why did they do such foolish misguided things ?
Because they lack information on what rights are, and what accountability means. They have all the technology but none of the learning that took decades to develop.
Omanis are incredible. It is time to open the press, but the press must respect the laws and write with tact.
Education on what is really happening in Oman in terms of health stats etc...has to be open and transparent.
change is painful....but the truth will set you free.
I hope Oman is able to transition, but tonight, it is sounding a little like Saudi Arabia. And no one wants that.
Nadia,
ReplyDeleteCHANGE IS THE CONSTANT.
It will happen.
All can't be swept under the carpet.
Let us wait.
Netizen
Yawn. How about you have a look at what the Russian amendments to law were about before buying into the Huffington Post rhetoric, and tell me that you don't agree with them.
ReplyDeleteI am principally for the issue at hand, regarding the article and its editorial, but to have to see if brought down to some of the most ridiculous comparators like Russian LGBT, or human rights is annoying beyond belief.
Can't anyone bother to make a decent argument about anything without appealing to some sort of international order which needs to be observed or merited ? You know what I say ? Let's develop a policy or discussion platform where these issue can be treated as they fit the nuances of the socialpolitical arrangement here before arguing an 'outsider' phenomena using some 'outsider' rhetoric, and watch nothing get nowhere.
I've just about had enough.