Oman - The Islamic Democratic Tradition

Oman - The Islamic Democratic Tradition
Author: Hussein Ghubash
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2014-02-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1135035660

Oman is the inheritor of a unique political tradition, the imama (imamate), and has a special place in the Arab Islamic world. From the eighth century and for more than a thousand years, the story of Oman was essentially a story of an original, minority, movement: the Ibadi. This long period was marked by the search for a just imama through the Ibadi model of the Islamic State. Hussein Ghubash’s well-researched book takes the reader on an historical voyage through geography, politics, and culture of the region, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Oman has long-standing ties with East Africa as well as Europe; the first contact between Oman and European imperialist powers took place at the dawn of the 1500s with the arrival of the Portuguese, eventually followed by the Dutch, French and British. Persuasive, thorough and drawing on Western as well as Islamic political theory, this book analyzes the different historical and geopolitical roles of this strategic country. Thanks to its millennial tradition, Oman enjoys a solid national culture and a stable socio-political situation. Today, it is moving steadily towards a democratic future.

Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa

Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa
Author: Sanja Kelly
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 606
Release: 2010-07-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1442203978

Freedom HouseOs innovative publication WomenOs Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Progress Amid Resistance analyzes the status of women in the region, with a special focus on the gains and setbacks for womenOs rights since the first edition was released in 2005. The study presents a comparative evaluation of conditions for women in 17 countries and one territory: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine (Palestinian Authority and Israeli-Occupied Territories), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The publication identifies the causes and consequences of gender inequality in the Middle East, and provides concrete recommendations for national and international policymakers and implementers. Freedom House is an independent nongovernmental organization that supports democratic change, monitors freedom, and advocates for democracy and human rights. The project has been embraced as a resource not only by international players like the United Nations and the World Bank, but also by regional womenOs rights organizations, individual activists, scholars, and governments worldwide. WomenOs rights in each country are assessed in five key areas: (1) Nondiscrimination and Access to Justice; (2) Autonomy, Security, and Freedom of the Person; (3) Economic Rights and Equal Opportunity; (4) Political Rights and Civic Voice; and (5) Social and Cultural Rights. The methodology is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the study results are presented through a set of numerical scores and analytical narrative reports.

Gulf in World History

Gulf in World History
Author: Allen James Fromherz
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2018-07-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1474430686

Analyses of Ranciere's philosophy and its potential for understanding the conversation between contemporary politics and art cinema

A History of Modern Oman

A History of Modern Oman
Author: Jeremy Jones
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2015-08-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1316404595

The ideal introduction to the history of modern Oman from the eighteenth century to the present, this book combines the most recent scholarship on Omani history with insights drawn from a close analysis of the politics and international relations of contemporary Oman. Jeremy Jones and Nicholas Ridout offer a distinctive new approach to Omani history, building on postcolonial thought and integrating the study of politics and culture. The book addresses key topics including Oman's historical cosmopolitanism, the distinctive role of Omani Islam in the country's social and political life, Oman's role in the global economy of the nineteenth century, insurrection and revolution in the twentieth century, the role of Sultan Qaboos in the era of oil and Oman's unique regional and diplomatic perspective on contemporary issues.

Democracy and Youth in the Middle East

Democracy and Youth in the Middle East
Author: Sulaiman Al-Farsi
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2013-05-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0857733702

The leaders of the oil-rich rentier states of the Middle East, and in particular in the Gulf, have hitherto often predicated their legitimacy on a tacit social contract with their (much poorer) populations. This social contract consists of little or no direct taxation, with some sort of subsidised living. But the casualty of this tacit agreement is often political participation, an issue which has come to the forefront in the Middle East following the 'Arab Spring' of 2011. Here, Sulaiman Al-Farsi looks at the impact the rentier nature of the Gulf States has on political participation, focusing on the nexus between tribe, religion and a new generation of young, highly educated citizens that is present in Oman. Specifically exploring the concept of shura (consultation), and how nascent concepts of democracy in the practice of shura have impacted and shaped the process of democratisation, Al-Farsi's book is vital in the examination of the political discourse surrounding democratisation across one of the most strategically important, but little understood states in the Middle East.

Political Islam

Political Islam
Author: Khaled Hroub
Publisher: Saqi
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2012-05-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0863568831

This volume offers a comprehensive discussion of the contemporary debates within political Islam, providing an in-depth analysis of the specific movements, countries and regions in the Arab world and Israel. The contributors contend that the evolution of Islamic movements is contextual rather than ideological. Therefore, Islamic movements are best understood individually within their own historical, socio-political and cultural setting. Political Islam is an essential reference for academi, researchers and the media, as well as general readers with an interest in Islamic political debates. Contributors include Abdullah Baabood, Youcef Bouandel, Abdelwahab El-Affendi, Kamal Helbawy, Roel Meijer, Ibrahim Moussawi, Tariq Ramadan, Tilde Rosmer, Murad Batal al-Shishani, Sara Silvestri and Camille Tawil. '[Hroub's] work on Hamas is exceptional ... a lucid, informative and extremely valuable introduction to this complex organisation.' -- Sara Roy, Harvard University

Community and Autonomy in Southern Oman

Community and Autonomy in Southern Oman
Author: Marielle Risse
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2019-06-21
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3030170047

This book explores how there is latitude for people to make their own choices and how the chances to assert independence change over time in a Muslim, Arab, tribal culture. The book first gives a brief overview of day-to-day life in the Dhofar region of southern Oman, then focuses on how the traits of self-control and self-respect are linked in the everyday actions of several groups of tribes who speak Gibali (Jibbali, also known as Shari/Śḥeret), a non-written, Modern South Arabian language. Although no work can express the totality of a culture, this text describes how Gibalis are constantly shifting between preserving autonomy and signaling membership in family, tribal, and national communities. The work reflects observations and conclusions from over ten years of research into the history and culture of the Dhofar region along with longstanding, deep involvement with both men and women in the Gibali community.