Question of the Day: Why do Omanis love Sultan Qaboos so much?
First, let me explain the extent to which Omanis love the Sultan -- they really love him, they really do say nothing bad about him, they really do credit him with creating a modern nation, and his name is on every building and street. I would liken Sultan Qaboos to Mohammed V in Morocco.
One interesting note is that I opened the newspaper today, and on one page alone (4 different advertisements for banks, a total of 4 pictures of the Sultan, one in each ad...the same was found on every page of the newspaper -- each page overflowing with pictures of the Sultan)
They say its because before he 'ascended the thrown' Oman wasn't a real country. So, before 1970, the Sultan Qaboos's father was Sultan, but he was completely against modernization.
Public education wasn't provided. Omani's couldn't really leave Oman to travel or study abroad. Electricity was not allowed. They didn't have anything really -- no infrastructure, social services, etc.
But Sultan Qaboos was educated abroad in England and learned the ways of the modern world and so in 1970, with support from inside, he staged a non-violent coup and ousted his father, who was exiled abroad.
In fact yesterday was the 38th anniversary of the day of the (what we could call coup), but was called (with complete sincerity) "Renaissance Day" here.
It is true -- in the past 38 years, the country has been revolutionized -- schools, roads, modern facilities, tourism, technology, tons of Southeast Asian immigration, and of course -- OIL! (النفط)
ُThese and more will be the topic of blog updates to come!
(That's him above...in his official royal garb...kind of weird for a national leader to look like he's wearing silk pajamas doesn't it? Oh, that sword is called a khanjar... pretty cool, huh?)
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