OMAN ONLINE: OMANI DETAINEES AND IRAQI ELECTIONS

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000194

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI (TROBERTS),NEA/PPD (CWHITTLESEY),NEA/P
(FFINVER),IIP/G/NEA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO SOCI MU
SUBJECT: OMAN ONLINE: OMANI DETAINEES AND IRAQI ELECTIONS



1. Summary: The Omani Internet chat rooms "Al-Sablah" and "Al-
Majara" -- are the liveliest and most comprehensive Arabic-
language fora for political and social discourse in the country,
touching on issues and personalities rarely addressed in the
conventional media. While not totally free, nor wholly
reflective of Omani public opinion, they nevertheless offer a
worthwhile window into the hot topics and unvarnished views of
the day. This edition of Oman Online contains the following
topics:

-- Ministry of Information statement on detainees
-- Iraqi Elections

End summary.

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Attempting to Arrest Rumors
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2. On January 30, the Omani government addressed the much-rumored
arrests of an unspecified number of Omanis for "national
security" reasons. In response to the statement, one Al-Sablah
participant wrote, "Finally the government has been forced to
acknowledge this issue to the people, but we do not know whether
this is due to internal pressure or pressure from the
international community."

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1970's Redux
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3. Many subscribers reacted negatively to Al-Rashdi's statement.
One said, "He explained nothing. The only new thing (he adds to
the discussion) is that he is not telling the truth." Others
expressed concern that a high level official would give such a
vague explanation for the arrests. "When government officials
respond in this way, they undermine their own credibility. Do
they think that we are living in the 70's and that we can be so
easily deceived?"

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Crossing Red Lines
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4. Other participants went farther stating, "The Minister
himself is not even aware of what is going on. We should call
for his resignation." Al-Majara chat room participants expressed
many of the same opinions about the Minister's statements. One
Al-Majara subscriber wrote, "The Minister accused the detainees
of crossing red lines in regard to national security. The real
red lines should be a media that arouses sexual desires, the sale
of alcoholic beverages, a growing sex trade under the cover of
tourism, dirty songs and dancing, and pornographic magazines and
videos."


5. Some Al-Sablah participants called for the creation of a
committee to follow the cases of the detainees and provide
support for their families. One participant suggested, "Let us
form a committee to ensure that the detainees are treated
fairly." Another skeptically stated, "This will not happen
unless the elite families of the detainees take the lead in
creating a committee to protect their rights."

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Elections And Democracy
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6. The elections in Iraq have been widely discussed in Al-Sablah
and Al-Majara. One Al-Sablah subscriber sarcastically wrote,
"According to Mr. Bush, Iraq is going to be a democracy and
America will withdraw its forces from the country if the Iraqi
government asks it to." Many participants doubted that an
occupied country could have fair elections. "If freedom is the
basis of any democracy, how can Iraq be democratic? Allawi will
win by 100% as did Karzai in Afghanistan."


7. An Al-Majara subscriber stated, "Most probably Allawi will
win a bullet between his eyes." However, a few responses were
more optimistic. One Al-Sablah participant said, "The elections
may not have been perfect, but they are the only way to stop the
violence and help Iraqis to move toward a brighter future."

BALTIMORE