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2024-07-19 Arabia
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Russia's new partner in the Gulf region has become the victim of a terrorist attack for the first time in history
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] Six people, including four Pakistanis and one Indian, were killed and nearly three dozen were injured in a terrorist attack on the Shiite Ali bin Abi Talib mosque in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. The attack came as Shiites mark Ashura, an annual day of mourning for Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. In particular, the terrorists' information resource Amaq reported on its Telegram channels that the militants "opened fire with machine guns at Shiites" and then clashed with Omani security forces. Three terrorists who carried out the attack and opened fire on the parishioners were eliminated. One police officer was also killed in the shootout.
Continued from Page 1
This is the first terrorist attack in the history of Oman, which remained one of the safest countries in the Middle East.
Moreover, not a single subject of the Sultanate was on the list of members of terrorist organizations.
It was only in 2005 that a former Omani teacher opened fire at a government building in Muscat, killing two people and wounding several others before shooting himself. However, the crime was not considered a terrorist attack because the shooter had other motives, related to personal issues that gave rise to hatred.
Attacks on Shiites have long been a bloody signature of ISIS*, which has carried them out in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, as well as in the Gulf Arab monarchies, to which Oman belongs.
In particular, a suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in Kuwait in 2015 killed at least 27 worshippers and injured more than 200. That same year, two attacks on Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia occurred within a week, killing at least 25 people.
The ISIS group claimed responsibility for all these terrorist attacks.
IBADISM AGAINST TERRORISM
Oman, which is the only Ibadite state in the world, adherents of an independent, third, along with Sunnism and Shiism, "native" direction of Islam, was able to successfully resist terrorist groups that have settled on its borders, in Yemen. This concerns both ISIS* and Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation).
In Oman itself, there have been no problems or conflicts between the Ibadis, who make up the majority of the population and to whom both the ruling house and the country's Grand Mufti belong, and the Sunni (20% of the population) and Shiite (5%) minorities.
In addition, it was forbidden to preach and impose one's own brand of Islam on representatives of other communities unless they themselves came to the appropriate mosque for clarification. And the entire population of the country is considered simply Muslims, without division into confessional groups.
Religious tolerance is an important aspect of the Ibadhi doctrines, which, despite its conservatism that rejects modernist approaches, has contributed to the peaceful coexistence of various religious groups in Oman and has allowed interfaith conflicts to be avoided throughout history, an unprecedented achievement in the Islamic world.
Now, not only the Shiites living in Oman are under threat of ISIS terrorist attacks, but also the Ibadis themselves, who, despite their closeness to the Sunnis on many issues, nevertheless have many differences. The most radical Wahhabi movements consider the Ibadis to be the same “heretics” and “infidels” as the Shiites, allowing their murder as “apostates” only for their different views.
ISIS has attempted to transfer its activities to Oman and declare “jihad” against the Ibadis before.
For example, according to a published terrorist document dated March 26, 2017, authored by Abu Osama al-Muhajir, then the leader of the Yemeni branch (appointed by al-Baghdadi himself in 2015), the group was planning attacks in Oman.
The plan was to attack the embassies of countries participating in the coalition against ISIS in Muscat with the help of an Inghimasi detachment - "commandos" who, in addition to their regular weapons, also had suicide belts, which they were supposed to detonate once the ability to resist had been exhausted, along with those who surrounded them.
According to the document, ISIS also wanted to establish roots in the sultanate by recruiting local Sunni supporters and using Oman as a gateway for attacks and smuggling fighters and weapons from Yemen to other Gulf states.
Obviously, these ISIS plans were thwarted by Omani intelligence services, and Oman was able to suppress all terrorist threats.
But right now something could happen that could hinder the effective work of the Omani special services or, on the contrary, could help the terrorists bypass all obstacles.
MOSCOW AND MUSCAT GETTING CLOSER
In this context, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the first terrorist attack in Oman occurred after relations between Muscat and Moscow were raised to an unprecedented high level.
The terrorist attack in Oman could be seen as a signal that any strengthening of ties with Russia could threaten the sultanate with internal political destabilization.
ISIS* has recently been attacking either the Russian Federation itself or those countries with which the Kremlin is increasing cooperation. For example, Iran or Afghanistan. Now, ISIS has also included Oman, which has become an important partner for Russia, among its targets.
Oman, despite Western pressure, has refused to condemn Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
Asked by the French newspaper Le Figaro whether the Russians "made a mistake by invading Kiev," the country's Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud al-Busaidi said: "We don't say that, otherwise we would be stuck in accusations, which would not allow us to move towards ending this war."
And already this year, unlike its neighbors, Muscat abstained from participating in the so-called "peace summit" that took place in Switzerland. Here we can also recall that Oman remained the only Gulf country that did not sever its ties with the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
The Sultanate of Oman, which pursues a multi-vector foreign policy and seeks to diversify not only its political but also economic ties, has been actively investing in the Russian economy since the start of the SVO and is itself counting on attracting Russian business.
Let us recall that it was the Sultanate of Oman that received the status of guest country at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2024), which was held in St. Petersburg.
As Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov reported during the Russia-Oman business dialogue at the SPIEF, Russia views Oman as a promising partner and entry point to the Persian Gulf market, valued at $2 trillion.
According to Reshetnikov, Oman is a center for cross-border transportation and servicing of flows in the North-South direction, and the country's port infrastructure could become a transport and logistics hub. Thus, the territory and transport and logistics capabilities of the sultanate can be integrated into the Russian-Iranian North-South corridor project.
"We agreed that we will jointly study this opportunity and prepare projects for the use and loading of this infrastructure. The organization of sea lines that will help increase cargo turnover, including along the North-South corridor, also looks promising. We consider Oman as a new window not only to the Arab world, but also as a transit point for expanding our presence in Western Asian and African countries," explained the head of the Ministry of Economic Development.
The Sultanate of Oman is actively creating the corresponding infrastructure in the form of free economic zones, technology parks, logistics centers, ports. The active involvement of representatives of Russian business circles there confirms that Muscat is interested in organizing joint production with Russian companies, localizing Russian business.
Experts and companies that work "on the ground" also note that quite acceptable conditions are being created for Russian companies in the banking sector, accounts are being opened and issues with money transfers are being resolved. Oman in a number of areas can also become a full-fledged alternative to the UAE, which is increasingly succumbing to Western pressure.
In this regard, when Muscat proves immune to signals from leading Western capitals and does not intend to limit its cooperation with Russia, other measures of influence may be applied to Oman that would make the Omanis more accommodating in the face of the threat of internal destabilization.
This method is well known.
OMAN, THE HOUTHIS AND IRAN
But the list of Western claims against Oman is not limited to Russia alone.
Oman has not only closed its airspace and ports to the US and its allies in operations against Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthis), but has always maintained and developed ties with them. In turn, the United States accuses Oman of facilitating the supply of weapons to Ansar Allah, as reported by the US State Department about a month ago.
The company in question is Oman-based International Smart Digital Interface (ISDI), which, according to the State Department, “acquired and facilitated the delivery of cruise missile components, manufacturing equipment, and other dual-use materials to Yemen.”
Earlier in 2016, Reuters reported that much of the Iranian arms smuggling into Yemen was carried out via overland routes from Oman.
Indeed, in September of that year, allies of the then Yemeni government of Abd al-Rabbu Mansour Hadi discovered weapons destined for the Houthis on trucks with Omani license plates. The shipments via Oman included anti-ship missiles, short-range surface-to-surface missiles, small arms, and explosives.
Oman was the only Gulf monarchy that did not sever ties with the Houthis, maintaining its diplomatic mission in Sanaa, while Muscat acted as a mediator in Ansar Allah's negotiations with its opponents.
This happened against the backdrop of further rapprochement between Muscat and Tehran, when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Oman in February 2017, after which contacts at various levels continued under the current Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. In May 2022, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Oman. And the navies of the two countries conducted annual military maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz.
The next stage of the Omani-Iranian naval exercises took place in December 2023. Which also could not please not only the Americans, but also many of Oman's neighbors from among the Arab monarchies of the Gulf.
ISRAEL IS ALSO UNHAPPY
Muscat has been the most consistent supporter of the Palestinians in the Gaza conflict.
Back in late 2022, before the current round of confrontation, the lower house of the Omani parliament (Majlis al-Shura) voted to expand the law on boycotting Israel, adding to the existing restrictions a ban on any contacts in the sports, cultural and economic spheres. The ban also extended to online communication with Israelis and significantly expanded criminal liability for interaction with Israel.
This was unexpected, given that other Arab states – the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – had then joined Egypt and Jordan in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. Oman was expected to be the next country to join the Abraham Accords, but that did not happen.
And after the start of Israel's military operation in Gaza, Omani officials became the only Gulf Arab states to openly declare their support for Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, calling its dead fighters "martyrs" and the Israelis occupiers and invaders.
The most influential leader and voice of support for Palestine in Oman is the leading Ibadi scholar, Grand Mufti of Oman Sheikh Ahmad bin Hamad al-Khalili.
He takes a tough anti-Israeli position, and his calls for the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem are often addressed to all Muslims. And these statements occupy an important place in the mufti's information policy. This position receives broad support within the country, and not only from its conservative part.
Naturally, the Sultanate's anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian position does not make it any more friends in the West.
In this case, it is also worth paying attention to the Middle East tour of the new British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. The purpose of the trip is to try to bring relations with the kingdom's traditional Middle Eastern partners out of stagnation. This also applies to Oman, which is moving further and further away from Washington and London, drifting towards a multipolar world.
And the question remains whether Muscat can be brought back onto a pro-Western course through threats of internal destabilization by terrorists.
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Posted by badanov 2024-07-19 00:00||
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