Omani women prove equal to the challenge
On the 23rd of July, Oman will be celebrating its 38th year of what is now known as its Renaissance. It was in 1970 under a peaceful coup that the Sultanate transitioned into an enlightened and progressive era under Sultan Qaboos bin aboos.
“He added:” I promise you that a new dawn will rise on Oman, a new dawn which will give its people a new life and a new hope for the future.” on ascending the throne, words that still ring with hope, for in astuteness and foresight, the Omani monarch has steered his country on the track of rebirth and recovery, even as he chose the difficult path of keeping its culture, traditions and beliefs intact. Indeed a feat, fraught with challenges.
It is often said that the Sultanate of Oman can be considered one of the most advanced countries in the Gulf region, at least, when it comes to women’s rights. Women in Oman are educated and have equal rights when it comes to work opportunities, straddling positions of power, access to services, and lately political, specifically, voting rights. We have Sultan Qaboos to guarantee this when he says this about the role of women:
I said many years ago that if women’s energy, knowledge and enthusiasm were precluded from the active life of the nation, it would be 50% poorer than its potential, I have therefore been extremely careful to ensure that this does not happen in Oman, and I look forward to progress for the women with the greatest pleasure and confidence.
Even with narrowed Western eyes, it is therefore hard to ignore that societal development in this corner of Arabian Gulf, is in a positive light, inching towards democratic ends which intrinsically lead to an improvement in the status of women.
Dr. Sharifa bint Khalfan al Yahya’eeya, Minister of Social Development voicing out her appreciation for the women of Oman during International Women’s Day this year, highlights in March 8, 2008 issue of The Oman Observer thus:
The wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos recognizes the important role in the empowerment of all Omani women in all sectors of society. Omani women are the foundation of support for their families and are at the forefront in every sphere of life. On that note, the Omani woman today is a role model both at national and international levels”…
Indeed, the government has ensured that women’s rights remain protected and supported through the ratification of international treaties and conventions. The Convention of the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was ratified in May 2005 by Oman, forming a multisectoral committee to ensure that these articles were implemented and closely monitored according toUN rules.
The right of suffrage
The Omani government, with Sultan Qaboos at the helm, has indeed counted on the country’s women to rise up to the challenges, not only in family matters, but also in the country’s social and economic affairs. In contrast to some of its sister countries in the Gulf and the larger Middle East region, Oman, has already secured civil and political rights for women. The right of suffrage, ie. the right to vote as well as the right to run for public office, was already reality after the historic elections in October 2003.
Monitored by some 75 foreign media, including this writer, the 2003 elections which registered at least 100 000 women voters led to two women being elected to the 83-seat Majlis al Shura. .In my face to face encounter then with women candidates as well as women voters in the southern city of Salalah and later, in the mountainside village of Zeek in Dhofar, I was overwhelmed by the ardour and enthusiasm of the women. Some proudly showed to me their hennaed fingertips, normally reserved for wedding parties and other family celebrations, to signify that the day was indeed a milestone, a very important day among the women in the entire Sultanate.
Election in 2007 not encouraging but the march goes on
Altho the election of 2003 showcased Oman’s entry not only to the democratic club but also to the cyber age, the prediction that next time around it would be voting by internet was proved wrong, and what’s more, the two seats won by women in 2003 were totally lost in 2007. Of the 390 000 who were eligible to vote in 84 people into the Majlis al Shura, contested by 632 candidates of which 21 werewomen., there were not enough who believed that women could assume public office.. None could enter the eye of the needle, so to speak, this time.
If the span of 4 years did not secure women’s direct political participation in Omani society through the electoral process, the progress of women however continued in other fields. There are now 4 women Ministers in the government and several Undersecretaries. There are two women Ambassadors at such prestigious posts as Washington. DC in the USA and in The Hague, in the Netherlands. There are also more women in influential public councils, committees and institutions such as the Public Prosecutor’s office; and in the private sphere, women are sitting in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Women’s Council. And as the latest development in gender empowerment and mobilization in the Sultanate, women are at the forefront of pushing forward the work of NGOs or non governmental organizations that have to do with volunteerism.
In a recent visit to the Sultanate, this writer had the occasion to touch base with different groups of women as well as individuals for another look at women’s progress since last.
First stop was with OWA (Omani Women’s Association), the largest organization in the country with at least 45 member organizations and whose Chairperson was one of the first few women directly elected by the people to the Majlis Al Shura in 2003.
Meeting with the OWA in Seeb
Safyia Ashkili and Fatma Al Raisi, are respectively center leader and school leader at this woman center at Seeb. The women have an aura of positive energy around them, their office painted in light colours, where on one wall is displayed some of the handiworks by women who have been attending the Center.
“We are all working for gender equality, this is the most important task for us. We also help the women’s families, especially the children, but once in a while also the husband, if he is for example temporarily unemployed.. When we help the whole family, one unavoidably helps the woman too,” was the clear message from Center Leader Safyia Ashkili who, manages, aside from the paid staff including the cook and 4 school teachers also 9 volunteers.
Duty to society: teaching children and adults
“We give aid to everybody who think they have a need. People may for example think that a family has already too many children , but it is their own decision to decide how many children they want, and we really can not interfere in such matters. But we can give the woman in the home some competences such as courses in sewing, handicrafts and computers in order to help them find jobs, to be able to support themselves and their children” Safyia continues.
As if anticipating my factual comment that Oman has one of the world’s highest birthrates in the world @ 2.45 , she added,. “Our problem is actually not the numbers in our population, but rather that the majority of the Omani population is very young. They have to be educated so they can become part of the labour force.”
Mentioning my encounter the day before with a Bedouin family in the Wahiba Sands where 3. girl cousins stayed home to look after their ailing grandmother, I noted that the eldest of the 3 was 12 year old Fatima who chose not to attend school at all and therefore could neither read nor write her name but could however sing verses from the Koran.
According to the Ministry of Education, there are, in all, 47 kindergartens and 53 schools being run by the Omani Women’s Association in 2005, and these institutions give education and social services to Omani children, including orphans and the handicapped. In Seeb’s OWA center alone, there are 35 pre-school places for children between 3 and 6 years old who according to Fatma learn everything through playing, and their learning method is therefore comparable to the Montessori system; the Montessori method is a pædagogical form which starts with the principle that one must build on the child’s autonomy. Daily, the Seeb children are given half-hourly instruction in the English language and in the Q’uran. But there is also time to learn music.
I end my visit with a quick stop at the atelier where women were sewing. On other days, they familiarize themselves with the computer. Recently they had visited with Japanese women and everyone had a great time making origami and observing the tea ceremony.
A visit at Al Omaniyya, Omani women’s magazine
With my visit at Seeb over, my next appointment: was with Aida Slayim Salimin al Hajry, Editor of the Omani women’s magazine, Al Omaniyya. This magazine represents diverse women organizations, majority of them members of the encompassing Omani Women’s Association.
From its exterior, the magazine could as well have been a European fashion glossy, glitzy cover and all but the contents are more of an eclectic mixture. It costs only 100 baizas which is the equivalent of only 15 pence in the UK where magazines of this technical quality costs at least 3 pounds, or ca. more than 20 times!
“Previously, we used Omani women in our covers, but lately our readers asked us to feature “modern women” , so we have begun to use these models, these attractive women as cover girls, but we do not write about them further in the inside pages. They are just eyecatchers!”, was the introductory comment from Aida Al Hajry.
“Our stable readership is comprised actually of families. We call the magazine a women’s magazine but actually it is for the whole family. And yes, the magazine looks like it is of high quality production, and in full colour with a smart lay-out but we can still improve its contents. For this, we sorely need economic means because right now, it is not possible for us to pay a proper wage to those who work here.” Aida herself gets paid by the Social Ministry where she has been working since 1991.
A short resume of a newly published number of Al Omaniyya reveals that the magazine has a very broad coverage, starting from a reportage on the yearly cultural festival in Salalah to the Arabian Shakespeare, the Egyptian writer Naguib Mafouz, and further, an interview with an Omani woman poet, Asilah Al Manairy, followed with several pages of fashion reporting on the traditional Omani women’s gowns and the usual recipes and children’s development.
Perhaps, there is a way out of this dire economic situation for Al Omaniyya, mouthpiece for many women’s organizations in the Sultanatte. The Minister for Social Development has signaled her aim to help as she sees the magazine firmly anchored in the population.
Aida al Hajry’s wish as Editor of Al Omaniyya is to be able to set focus and highlight the Omani women’s situation, which since 2003 has greatly improved in her opinion.
“Hopefully help will come this year”, concludes this mild and optimistic lady who does not give up against all odds, truly one of those Omani women who have proven themselves equal to the challenge in a young country like Oman , which is rushing towards development and encountering change.
