OMAN: WOMEN'S SEMINAR - ILLEGAL AND EXCITING

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 001117 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/30 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KWMN SOCI MU SUBJECT: OMAN: WOMEN'S SEMINAR - ILLEGAL AND EXCITING REF: MUSCAT 1089; MUSCAT 1087 CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Schmierer, Ambassador, Department of State, Embassy Muscat; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Summary: In an unprecedentedly frank and often contentious dialogue spanning two evenings, Omani civil society leaders discussed women's rights and discrimination in a seminar for which official permission was revoked the day of the event. Funded in part by a grant from Embassy's Public Affairs office (which enabled simultaneous interpretation of the event from Arabic to English), the event covered such controversial topics as domestic violence, sexual harassment, modifications to personal status law, and Islamic jurisprudence. This program capped a series of recent events which focused attention on both the progress of Omani women and the remaining obstacles to their full integration in the economic and political life of the country. In spite of the Sultan's open support for women, recent civil society leadership on this issue has caused the Government of Oman to apply pressure to some of those involved. It is not yet clear how frankly this dialogue about modernity and cultural change will be allowed to continue. End Summary. Speakers Address Wide Variety of Issues -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) On November 14 and 15 the Omani Association for Writers and Literati, in conjunction with local think tank Tawasul (Ref A), conducted a seminar to discuss women's rights. Approximately 175-200 people attended each night, of which 70% were women. Most of the attendees were Omani, although there were a few expatriates, who were able to observe due to Embassy support for simultaneous interpretation. The format was identical over two evenings, with five people presenting papers each evening, followed by a lengthy question and answer session with the audience (the first night the event ran four hours, the second night, five hours). The presenters were 2 men and 8 women. All were Omani except for one woman from Bahrain. They covered everything from cancer awareness to citizenship rights. ¶3. (C) Collectively the speakers advocated for a wide range of issues including a quota systems for women in the Majlis al-Shura, changing the law to allow women married to non-Omanis to pass nationality to their children, changes to the personal status law, stricter control of polygamy, a waiting period for divorce, more equitable property distribution at divorce and no-fault divorce, acknowledgement of the problem of domestic violence, changes to labor law, and a more consistent implementation of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Concurring with the Sultan's view that rights for women had been granted from above, several people expressed shame that the quest for women's rights in Oman had not been led by women, but had been granted at a political level. Some of the women seemed almost embarrassed that they had merely been given their rights, without having to demand anything. A recurring theme was that the "Omani Constitution" (the Basic Law of 1996) says that men and women are equal, but in reality this is not true. Inconsistencies between men and women were highlighted, as well as significant variations in the ways that women are perceived. One speaker queried, "Women can sign contracts worth millions of Omani Rials, yet can't decide who to marry?" Saying that an "antiquated" view of society must be changed, Basmah al-Kiyumi, a young attorney (and the only Omani woman present not wearing a hijab),passionately advocated for equality in personal status laws. Khawla al-Wahini, a psychologist from a clinic at Sultan Qaboos University, said that she sees 10-20 cases of domestic violence a month in her practice. Reflecting gender inequality discussed around the world, one woman questioned the inequity when women work, run the household, take care of the children, and look after the men, while men simply work and spend time with their friends. One speaker said that it was unfair to "hijack Islam" to defend cultural inequalities. Most presenters highlighted various negative stereotypes of women. One journalist conducted a survey in which she said that 11% of respondents said they had been sexually harassed. All of the speakers complained repeatedly that 20 minutes was not enough time to express all of their views. (Note: This, along with the lengthy Q&A gave the feeling of a dam breaking and the ideas just pouring out, as though this was the first and only time to have this discussion. End Note.) ¶4. (C) One presenter, Khalid al-Azri, had a unique experience. Khalid did interviews in Oman in 2005 for his PhD which he completed at the University of Melbourne on "Women and Identity in Oman; Influence of a Male dominated culture." His first remark was that the two days of the seminar had completely changed his views - that things are changing rapidly in Oman and two to three years ago there would not have been many women at an event such as this. In a conversation in September 2008 with poloff, Khalid was very hesitant to speak and would not discuss his dissertation, nor share it for fear of reprisal. His willingness to speak publicly on the same topic just over a year later is reflective of the change Oman has experienced in a very short time. Comments in the Form of Questions -------------- ¶5. (C) Even more interesting than the formal presentations was the Q&A period that followed, which turned out to be far more comments than questions. The variety of views expressed - from both men and women - underscored the transition that Omani culture is undergoing. The conflicts between the speakers and various audience members showed the lack of clear understanding many Omanis have of the actual law - as on many points there was not agreement on what the law actually said. Some observed that the laws were good; it was merely the inadequate/inconsistent application of the law that was problematic. Several men emphasized stereotypes by saying that all women were "emotional" (and used as examples the passionate presentations by the young Omani women),and spent too much money on frivolous items. Therefore they concluded, women need guidance in significant life decisions. Several encouraged the group not to "generalize based on a few examples" because Oman was "fine." Others wanted more specific recommendations, not just a recitation of problems. ¶6. (C) There was significant back and forth about the role of women in society - with men especially defending women's important (and "sacred") role in the home. Many cited the benefits and protections currently provided to women under the law. Emphasis was given to the needs of the community, which is based on family, and the importance of tradition and culture. Several people acknowledged that Omani culture is in a time of transition and that changes were needed, although many advocated for gradual change. It was noted that it was not practical for government to force change, but that people must also want it. There were many acknowledgements that there is an overarching lack of data and information on women's issues that makes it difficult to understand and appropriately address the issues. Islam as a Framework for Discussion -------------- ¶7. (C) Throughout both the presentations and the Q&A, the underlying basis for the discussion was the precepts of Islam. Regardless of position on the issues, everyone present agreed that the mandates of Islam would drive the discussion. There was a strong reaction from individuals who thought that the discussion was attacking the religious basis of Omani society. Several people said there was nothing to discuss as personal status law "is Shariah" thus it is not possible for there to be anything wrong or unjust about it. Others clarified that although based on Shariah and in compliance with it, personal status law is part of civil law in Oman and thus is not infallible. Others emphasized that times were changing and perhaps a less narrow interpretation of the Quran could be considered. A few pointed out that men and women share the same rights under Islam and thus should be treated equally. The very openness of the conversation about interpretation of the Quran, especially in regards to a changing culture, revealed the wide range of opinions in Oman. Current Structures are not Working -------------- ¶8. (C) In the most contentious moment of the first evening, one of the presenters said that women leaders are not advocating for women from their positions of authority. One of the audience members, a member of the Majlis al-Dawla said, "you criticize me when I am sitting right in front of you, I am right here?" (Note: The Omani interpreter hesitated before translating her comments into English, the only time this happened all evening. Reflecting the significance of this type of slight in Omani culture, he confirmed later that he was embarrassed for the English speaking guests to even hear what was said. End Note.) ¶9. (C) Although Oman Women's Associations (OWAs) figured prominently in the official government plan to address women's issues (Ref B),both presenters and audience members alike were disparaging of OWAs role in empowering women, asking " where are they?", or "who needs more sewing classes?" The overall sentiment seemed to be summarized by the woman who said that OWAs "Have no role in this." Attempts to Moderate Discussion -------------- ¶10. (C) Midway through the Q&A on the first evening, the moderator encouraged attendees to be more tolerant of differing views; emphasized that "we are not here to challenge Shariah or our traditions"; and said that it is "our duty as members of the community to talk about the issues of our age," everyone has a right to express an opinion, and the law does not have to be based on Shariah, it just can't contradict it. Before the session began on the second evening, a representative of the Omani Writers Association gave a general disclaimer emphasizing that the Association had not granted "approval" to any of the papers, encouraging a "democratic atmosphere," again encouraging people to accept the views of others, and apologizing for any inappropriate remarks made the night before about "leading Omani women." Government Revokes Permission for Event; Virtual Press Blackout -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C) The government forbade press coverage and to date there has been only one small article in the Arabic press. Although members of the press were present, particularly from the new "Muscat Daily," there has been no further reporting on the event. However, the event was simultaneously broadcast on the Internet and there has been dialogue about the issues discussed on Arabic blogs in Oman. Event organizers were excited that attendees, especially women, were able to speak their views freely; however, they were also somewhat concerned at the confrontational style of both presenters and audience members. Organizers are planning follow-up events to move the discussion to more concrete steps to advance women's rights and decrease societal discrimination. ¶12. (C) According to event organizers, although originally approved in August by the government of Oman via the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD),on the day of the event the MoSD revoked its permission, telling the organizers that it was not comfortable with the format of the event and the lack of structure in the Q&A time. Contacts told POLOFF that the events manager at the hotel where the event was held was called by his Omani partner on the second day of the event and asked not to allow the group to meet that evening. Absent an official request from the government, the manager did not comply, and the event occurred as scheduled. Khalid al-Haribi, one of the event organizers, told POLOFF that they had told the MoSD that if anyone prevented the event from taking place, organizers would "publish a manifesto on the Internet." ¶13. (C) Comment: Control in Oman is executed in a very subtle but consistent way which generally involves friendly pressure to the involved parties to toe the line. The mostly young Omani civil society leaders who organized the women's seminar were willing to take risks to express their ideas, and to do so in a way that is not normally done in Omani culture. The organizers of this event greatly escalated the cost to the GoO of preventing this event when they did not just stand down when told to do so. As the only remaining option was to send someone to physically halt the event, the GoO did not further intervene. It will be interesting to see what, if any, continued fallout emerges from the willingness of a few Omani civil society leaders to act in very non-Omani ways. End Comment. Schmierer