Some Omanis say protests a result of 'Arab Spring': Why a historically peaceful state is witnessing outbreaks

Compared to other Arab nations, the Sultanate of Oman flies relatively under the radar.

It could be because a seemingly isolated tradition of peace exists in the Omani culture, between religious sects and multitudes of etnicities.  But really, development has been the only news in Oman for the past 40 years, all under the reign of Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

There's no arguing with government-incentivized development, especially when there are essentially no taxes, healthcare is free, and land is given to every citizen.

Yet, within the past six months, a spark of small protests continue to break out across the country, the most recent concentrated in the port city of Sohar, about 125 miles north of the Omani capital of Muscat.

Friday a demonstration erupted after prayers at Shaikh Khalifa mosque in the Tareef area of Sohar. The estimated size of the protest varies among sources, ranging from a reported three dozen to 150 demonstrators total.

Protestors demanded the release of activists arrested in February for protesting or staging sit-ins in Muscat, Salalah, Sur and Sohar, according to Gulf News. They chanted slogans saying that their jailed colleagues did not deserve to go to prison for making genuine demands, and later handed over a letter of demands to officials.

In February, those 25 colleagues were charged with vandalism, rioting and throwing handmade bombs at security forces, according to Reuters.

Police refrained from intervening last Friday.

Protestors were also quoted demanding higher wages, more employment opportunities, and political reform, according to The Times of Oman.

These demonstrations continue despite Sultan Qaboos promising a $2.6 billion spending package and government creation of 50,000 public sector jobs, according to Reuters. The Sultan also recently introduced an unemployment service of 150 rials, or $390 per month for the jobless. Unemployment in Oman was last estimated at 15 percent in 2004, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Yet, the fact that a protest even occured shocked some Omanis. Some just shook their heads in amusemest, stating the protests 'weren't important,' and the only people that care to protest are 'those without jobs.'
But, what has been revealed as a result of the protests could be part of a much more serious concern in Omani government and society.

My Omani Colloqial Dialect teacher, who wishes to remain unnamed, shared her thoughts on the start of the protests and the reasons for them.

Personal Notes:
-I apologize for not having the ability to edit video on my computer.
-Not from my own experience, but from what I've heard in Oman, the south part of Oman, closest to Yemen, seems to be traditionally more conservative than the north.
-Take from her thoughts your own conclusions on what is really going on :)

Surely people don't think America is really like that...

Before traveling, I am typically reminded by authorities, sponsors, teachers, whomever, to be mindful that the rest of the world thinks America is just like what makes the news and the movies, mostly so that I am careful not to reaffirm those assumptions.

We typically don't think twice about Hollywood. Movies and television shows often depict ridiculously exaggerated scenes, whether it be sex, relationships, wealth, etc. We just chalk it up to it 'being in the movies,' therefore, it probably wouldn't happen in real life.

For example, The Hangover - this is obviously an account of a bachelor party on the extreme end of the spectrum (or at least I hope). It's so far fetched that it's funny. From what I understand, bachelor parties can get pretty crazy, but I assume most of the attendants don't end up with a random infant, a missing tooth, or an Asian enemy.

Another example, The Bachelor/Bachelorette - in reality, one person doesn't always get to date multiple astonishingly good-looking, over-dramatic, self-absorbed people at one time, all while living in some incredible corner of the world where the dates are more extravagant than a lot of couples' honeymoons.

Also, we all know that all news is bad news. Good news just doesn't usually make the cut. I can definitely justify this as a journalist, because it's typically the most important. It's great if thousands of dollars get donated to a local charity, but a local shooting is more likely to directly affect your daily life; therefore, when it comes to newsgathering and editorial selection, I'm going to report on the shooting. This shooting, though, is also a rare occurrence, and Americans know to understand this type of circumstance as something that differs from the norm. Let's be honest, everyday life in Oxford can be, well, quite boring.

Given these examples, I think, 'there's no way people think America is really like that.' It's just...not possible.

Well, I might never know the extent to which the rest of the world believes America is like these examples, but I can guarantee movies and news contribute to the overall perception of American culture, and especially distort the reality of American everyday life.

Just like the Bollywood movie I watched last night made me question whether or not random groups of people in spandex break out in dance in India, whether love triangles between extremely attractive people are standard, and whether unmarried women and men get as close in public, or private as they were in the film.

That's when I caught myself. I knew the movie was somewhat of an exaggeration, but I began to think, there has to be some basis for this male teen character going back and forth between beautiful, skinny girls, getting to second base with them - this must actually happen in India, or else it wouldn't be portrayed in the film.

There's the connection. Planted in the viewers' minds then is some murky shape of an idea of what young adult relationships are like in India. But, sometimes that glimpse into the culture becomes enough for some people to make a value judgement.

That's exactly how people form their perceptions of America.

But, they haven't seen just one movie, like I've seen half of a Bollywood film (finishing it tonight - they are notoriously long). They've seen hundreds of examples of American culture, and so reinforced is the perception. Every major movie that you can think of has probably showed in a place you haven't heard of, that crazy story you found this morning from whichever news source you use is also being read halfway around the world, and the scandalous perfume ad you saw the other day is also on a billboard or flyer somewhere where perfume can't even be purchased.

Here are the results of the formed perceptions:

If I wear skinny jeans, I could also be into an alternative lifestyle. If I'm blonde, I am most likely from California. Or, if I'm Christian, I might want to burn the Quran.

So, not only am I careful now, I'm also active. I'm active in breaking whatever solidification of a perception comes my way.

I get the feeling it will be this way for awhile.