(Religious) freedom, migrants, development: Oman in the post-Covid era
In recent days a church has been inaugurated in the capital, recalling the only episode of Christian martyrdom in the Koran. Catholics, a migrant reality with a "strong community spirit". Mascate remains a model of diplomacy and balance between Sunni (Riyadh, Abu Dhabi) and Shiite (Tehran) powers. Tourism - and oil - fuel the recovery.
Milan (AsiaNews) - A church in the land of Arabia, recalling the only episode of Christian martyrdom mentioned in the Koran and dedicated to Saint Areta - in Arabic al-Hārith bin Ka'b - and his companions, who lived in the 6th century and were burnt alive in a pit. A death in hatred of the faith, which was part of the persecution against the Christian community of Najran at the time of the Yemeni king Dhu Nuwas.
The inauguration of the new Greek Orthodox church in Mascate, the capital of Oman, highlights a reality that is often relegated to the margins of Middle Eastern and Gulf news, but which is of absolute economic, diplomatic and religious importance. The sultanate, in
In fact, for years the sultanate has been working behind the scenes as a harmonizing element between Iran (Shia) and the Sunni universe, from Riyadh to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, which have long been fighting proxy wars in Yemen and other areas of the regional chessboard. Moreover, in the past, the Vatican's recognised its fundamental contribution in the negotiations that led to the release of the Indian Salesian Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, kidnapped in Aden during the jihadist assault on the house of the Missionaries of Charity.
A migrant Church
On the evening of 26 May, the Christians of Oman participated en masse in the inauguration of the church of Ant'Al-Harith bin Ka'b Al-Najrani, during a thanksgiving service presided over by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Yohanna X Yazigi.
The primate emphasised the importance of the Sultanate for the values of 'tolerance, harmony and concord', a place where everyone 'feels as if in their own land and in the midst of their own family'. This is an important call, in a reality composed overwhelmingly of migrants: 86% of Omani people are Muslims, while Christians represent 6.5% of the population, or about 300,000 people.
About 70% of them are Catholic, about 13% Orthodox and 6% Protestant; the remaining 11% are independent groups or small communities. The faithful are almost exclusively economic migrants from other Asian countries, particularly the Philippines and India, and live almost exclusively in large urban centres from Mascate to Sohar and Salalah.
The authorities work to respect religious freedom, so much so that the faithful can gather to celebrate, run schools, events and services. In the past, the sultan has donated land and contributed to the building of churches and places of prayer, even donating an organ to the church in Mascate.
The Catholic Church is part of the Southern Vicariate, which includes Yemen and the Emirates, and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi. The territory is divided into four parishes: The Church of Saint Anthony of Padua in Sohar; of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Ruwi; of the Holy Spirit in Ghala; and of Saint Francis Xavier in Salalah. The inauguration of the church dedicated to the martyred Saint Areta was an opportunity to reaffirm the bond between Christians and their host country, as emphasised by the Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Baghdad, Kuwait Ghattas Hazim. Oman, he said, is "a country of love, peace, brotherhood, tolerance and coexistence" according to "the guidelines imprinted by the late Sultan Qaboos".
Today, his successor Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said is continuing this work viewing all citizens 'without distinction'. The Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Salmi was present at the service.
The inauguration of the church comes just a few weeks after the celebration of the first priestly ordination, the result of a local vocation for Catholics. On 25 March, the (now former) apostolic vicar Msgr Paul Hinder ordained Fr Dickson Eugene, originally from Bangalore (India), in the parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Mascate during a service attended by the entire community. In the following days, the prelate celebrated the confirmations of more than 160 boys and girls in two parishes in the capital.
Pandemic and employment
The Church in Oman, the vicar emeritus recently told AsiaNews, is a "migrant" reality made up of Indian, Filipino, European, American and African workers, within which the "spirit of community" is strong. This element, he added, must not, however, lead 'to enclosure' by taking on 'ethnic or nationalistic' drifts.
As in all the realities of the Gulf, 'the challenge is to respect the needs of each one in pastoral practice' starting 'from the language', but 'maintaining the bond at the community level'. None of the parishioners "is a citizen of Oman", but they are all "immigrants for work" who can meet, celebrate the Eucharist and pray benefiting from the freedom of worship "in a living, vital reality that offers Bible reading and the recitation of the Rosary".
The issue of migrants is one of the great challenges of the present day, in Oman as in many places in the Gulf, a region where up to 10,000 foreign workers from South and South East Asia die every year. More than half are registered for 'natural causes' or 'cardiac arrest', without investigating the reasons for the deaths, which are often linked to extreme working - and living - conditions.
There are around 30 million economic migrants in the area, 80% of whom work in underpaid jobs in construction, health and domestic work. In the last two years, Covid-19 has had a very heavy impact on the labour market in Oman (2.6 million active population), causing up to 300 thousand new unemployed, of which only 7 thousand are local.
According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (Ncsi), more than 58 thousand expatriates left the sultanate in 2021. The economy is largely based on agriculture, fishing and foreign trade. Since the discovery of crude oil in 1964, revenues have accounted for 40 per cent of GDP, but in recent years the government has strengthened the development of non-oil sectors, in particular natural gas, while also betting on international tourism.
Tourism, the new 'black gold’
Economic indicators in the first quarter of 2022 confirm growth, supported in part by rising crude oil prices on global markets. The latest estimates of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) speak of +5.6% GDP for the current year, the highest among the Gulf countries.
Tourism is among the driving sectors and is expanding after two years of closures and restrictions imposed by the pandemic. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is aiming to turn the Sultanate into a top destination for culture lovers, adventurers and those working in the Mice industry (meetings, incentive tours, conferences and exhibitions) by reaching five million admissions.
Haitham Mohammed Al Ghassani, director general of the ministry, rattles off the figures: in the first four months almost 400,000 visitors arrived and the flow is constantly growing. Hence the decision to invest in infrastructure and the hotel sector, with the opening of 70 new hotels for a total of 4500 rooms.
In addition to hotels, the construction of campsites, flats, ecological and traditional accommodation facilities is planned. In order to expand the entertainment, offer, in addition to the consolidated local traditions and culture, the authorities are also winking at the environment and ecology: in the coming months, a project dedicated to the country's flora, the Oman Botanic Garden, will be inaugurated, which will stand alongside its twin, the Oman Through Time project.
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