Sultan Qaboos bin Said alizaliwa November 18, 1940 Muscat, Oman. Elimu yake aliipatia nchini Uingereza.
Baba yake mzazi ni Sultan Said ibn Taymur aliyezaliwa February 1910 Muscat Oman. Mwaka 1965 baba yake Sultan Said ibn Taymur, alimwita nyumbani kijana Qaboos arejee toka Uingereza na kumweka kifungo cha nyumbani kwa miaka 6.
Utawala wa Sultan Said bin Taymur ulitawala Oman toka mwaka 1932 mpaka 1970 na akaaga dunia October 1972 jijini London akiwa na umri wa miaka 62.
Mwaka 1970 Sultan Qaboos alifanya mapinduzi yasiyo ya kumwaga damu na kumuondosha baba yake madarakani.
Kuanzia hapo Sultan Qaboos alileta mageuzi ya kiuchumi na Kijamii katika Oman tofauti na ilivyokuwa Oman chini ya utawala wa baba yake ambaye alikuwa mhafidhina asiyetaka kuiga mambo mazuri ya mataifa mengine aliyoyaona kama hayaendani na tamaduni za karne na za waOmani.
Pamoja na Sultan Qaboos kuleta maendeleo mengi Oman pia alifanya mapinduzi ya kijamii kwa kuruhusu wanawake kuchaguliwa katika nafasi za uongozi wa serikalini.
Pia aliruhusu raia wote wenye umri zaidi ya 21 kushiriki kwa kiasi fulani katika maamuzi ya mustakabali wa nchi na maliasili za taifa.
Sultan Qaboos ametawala Oman kwa karibu miaka 49 na alikuwa mtawala aliyeongoza nchi kwa muda mrefu zaidi katika nchi za Kiarabu.
Sultan Qaboos afya yake kwa miaka minne iliyopita haikuwa nzuri na alifanya safari kadhaa nje kupata matibabu ktk hospitali za nje maarufu zenye madaktari wabobezi wachache wanaotambulikana ktk kutibu maradhi kama yake ya saratani.
Sultan Qaboos hakuacha wosia wowote juu ya nani alikuwa mrithi wake akiaga dunia.
Hivyo kufuatana na taratibu, baraza maalum katika Kasri la Sultan linatakiwa kumtangaza mrithi Mpya ambaye atakuwa Sultan wa Oman ndani ya siku tatu.
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Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said dies at 79
Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said died on Saturday after more than four decades as the country's ruler, though a murky succession process means that the identity of the next sultan may not be known for days.
The late sultan was born on November 18, 1940, in Salalah, the capital of Oman's southern province of Dhofar.
Qaboos is a direct descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Said dynasty, which created the sultanate in the 1600s after expelling the Portuguese from Muscat, now Oman's capital.
Sultan Qaboos was educated in India and at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.
After completing his military training with the British army in Germany, he studied local government and embarked on a global cultural tour. He returned to Oman in 1964, and spent most of his time thereafter studying Islamic law and Omani history.
When Sultan Qaboos seized power from his father in a bloodless coup in 1970, Oman was an isolated and impoverished state.
Over the course of Sultan Qaboos's five-decade rule, he was credited with using Oman's oil wealth to transform the sparsely populated Gulf nation into a rich country with a vibrant tourism industry and high standards of living.
"Sultan Qaboos will first and foremost be remembered for initiating the 'Omani Renaissance', undertaking social, economic, educational, and cultural reforms as well as opening Oman up to the world," Jeffrey Lefebvre, associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut, told Al Jazeera.
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"In a conservative society, he also took the lead in promoting women to positions of influence in the government [like] the Omani ambassador to the United States, and ensuring representation in popularly elected legislative councils," Lefebvre added.
Successor?
The question of succession will be hotly debated in the next few days, as the house of Al Said moves to find a successor to the sultan, as well as to other top government posts.
When Sultan Qaboos came to power, he not only named himself the country's ruler but also appointed himself as prime minister, defence minister, finance minister, foreign affairs minister and commander of the armed forces.
Sultan Qaboos was the only child born to the former Sultan Said bin Taimur and Princess Mazoon al-Mashani. He married his cousin in 1976, but the marriage did not last and the couple soon got divorced. The sultan never remarried or had any children.
With the sultan having no children and brothers, there are no clear successors within the royal family.
"There are many different stories about Omani succession, and no one really knows who will be the next sultan," said Theodore Karasik, a Dubai-based geopolitical analyst.
"As with Saudi Arabia, the adage of 'those who know don't speak, and those who don't know speak' applies to Oman. So it is safer to allow the Omani defence council to pay attention to the instructions for succession and not base assessments about successors on rumours."
According to Oman's Basic Law, promulgated by Sultan Qaboos in 1996, "a successor must come from the royal family and be chosen by a family council within three days of the sultan’s death".
Under this provision, if the process fails to choose a successor, then a sealed letter written by Sultan Qaboos will be opened in which he lists his preferred successors.
"I have already written down two names, in descending order, and put them in sealed envelopes in two different regions," Sultan Qaboos told Foreign Affairs magazine in a 1997 interview.
But there are fears, among Omanis and in the broader Gulf region, that a rocky transition process could split the country.
"Oman is a complex mosaic of interests that has been held together by Sultan Qaboos. If there are any internal squabbles over Omani ministries or assets in a post-Qaboos era, then a fractured society may appear. Regional countries may be impacted directly by such a development," Karasik said.
It is not fear, but minor doubts, that cast some uncertainties regarding Oman's leadership future, said Omani political commentator Khalid al-Haribi.
"For many Omanis, they grew up knowing only one Sultan and a one-way system of governance. There are some doubts since we don't have that much information, and experience like other GCC countries, regarding a transition of power," said Haribi, also a co-founder of Tawasul, Oman's first ever independent think-tank.
In addition to his domestic policy achievements, Sultan Qaboos has also been credited with transforming Oman into a regional player capable of bridging diplomatic divides, as seen in its role as mediator in nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in recent years.
Throughout 2012 and 2013, Sultan Qaboos mediated secret talks between US and Iranian officials. These culminated in the interim nuclear deal of November 2013, reached in Geneva between Iran and the so-called "P5+1" powers, which consist of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.
"In [mediating the talks], Oman continued to serve its unique and traditional role as a diplomatic bridge between the West and the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] on one side, and the Islamic Republic [of Iran] on the other," said Giorgio Cafiero, the co-founder of the think-tank Gulf State Analytics.
Cafiero told Al Jazeera that Oman's unique religious identity - the majority of the population are Ibadi Muslims, who are neither Sunni nor Shia - furthers the country's interest in developing relations with Iran.
"In light of the Saudi Arabian religious establishment's intolerant views of Ibadi Muslims, most in Oman believe that maintaining political, economic, social, and religious independence from Riyadh is an important foreign policy priority," he said. "Oman's government has viewed closer ties with Iran as a means to achieve this objective."
Mediation
Under Sultan Qaboos's leadership, Oman also mediated and oversaw talks between the warring sides of Yemen’s ongoing war. In November 2019, Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels held indirect, behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to end the devastating five-year war in Yemen.
The rapprochement could pave the way for more high-profile negotiations in the near future a Houthi official had said.
When fellow GCC nations broke ties with Qatar in 2017, sparking a diplomatic crisis, Oman opted out and avoided the fray instead of following suit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt - who imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Qatar.
Resistance to Sultan Qaboos's reign was not immune during the popular Arab uprisings of 2011 when hundreds beganprotesting at a roundabout in Oman’s Sohar province demanding salary increases and an end to government corruption.
The three-month uprising prompted Sultan Qaboos to reshuffle his government and expand the consultative assembly in an effort to ease the unrest.
"The government's proactive reaction to the people's demands in 2011 allowed for a much more peaceful uprising in Oman compared to other countries in the Arab world," said Haribi.
In December 2012, Omanis were allowed to vote in their first municipal elections when 192 were elected from among 1,475 candidates.
"Because of his swift response in allowing for democratic changes, we did not see a repeat of protests and demands from the people. Omanis were appreciative of the efforts put forth in building state institutions post 2011," Haribi added.
In an unexpected move, Sultan Qaboos extended an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018. Marking what was the first visit by an Israeli leader to the sultanate in over two decades, Netanyahu's office said in a statement the visit in October 2018 followed "lengthy contacts between the two countries".
His office added that it formed part of a policy of "deepening relations with the states of the region".
A joint statement said the two sides "discussed ways to advance the Middle East peace process" and "a number of issues of mutual interest to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East".
A day after Netanyahu’s visit, Oman described Israel as a "state" in the Middle East, drawing criticism from Palestinian officials.
It was not long after that an Israeli minister visited Oman to attend an international transport conference, which saw him pitch a railway project that aims to link the Gulf to the Mediterranean via Israel, according to media reports.
Rights record
However, Sultan Qaboos' human rights record has been condemned in recent years when scores of activists were convicted of defamation or of using social media networks to insult the sultan.
Others have been convicted of, or are facing trial for, taking part in demonstrations calling for political reform.
Among the biggest challenges Oman's next ruler will face is that of weaning Oman of its dependency on oil revenues, which account as much as 75 percent of the government budget.
"The main focus right now is to continue building human capital through education, civil society, and the building of state institutions," said Haribi.
"It's not panic time yet. While we're running out of natural resources, we have to wait and see how the coming few years in the post Sultan Qaboos era will look like for everyday Omanis," Haribi added.
Despite Oman’s presence in the media throughout 2018, Sultan Qaboos spent much of the last year out of sight.
In early December, he was taken to Belgium for a medical checkup, according to a royal court statement.
Source: Al Jazeera
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Sultan Qaboos of Oman dies aged 79
Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, the Arab world's longest-serving ruler, has died aged 79.
"With great sorrow and deep sadness... the royal court mourns His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who passed away on Friday," a court statement said.
Last month he returned home after undergoing medical checks and treatment in Belgium. There were reports he was suffering from cancer.
Sultan Qaboos was unmarried and had no heir or designated successor.
Three days of national mourning have been declared.
The sultan deposed his father in a bloodless coup with British support in 1970. Using its oil wealth, he then set Oman on a path to development.
According to the sultanate's Basic Statute, the Royal Family Council - comprising about 50 male members - should choose a new sultan within three days of the throne falling vacant.
If the family cannot agree, members of the defence council and the chairmen of the Supreme Court, the Consultative Council and the State Council will open a sealed envelope in which Sultan Qaboos secretly recorded his choice and enthrone that person.
The leading contenders reportedly include three brothers who are cousins of the late sultan: Culture Minister Haitham bin Tariq Al Said; Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq Al Said; and Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, a former Oman Navy commander who was a royal advisor.
The sultan is the paramount decision-maker in Oman and also holds the positions of prime minister, supreme commander of the armed forces, minister of defence, minister of finance and minister of foreign affairs.
Neutral policy
For almost five decades, Sultan Qaboos completely dominated the political life of Oman, which is home to 4.6 million people, of whom about 43% are expatriates.
At the age of 29 he overthrew his father, Said bin Taimur, a reclusive and ultra-conservative ruler who banned a range of things, including listening to the radio or wearing sunglasses, and decided who could get married, be educated or leave the country.
Sultan Qaboos deposed his father in a bloodless coup in 1970
Sultan Qaboos immediately declared that he intended to establish a modern government and use oil money to develop a country where at the time there were only 10km (six miles) of paved roads and three schools.
In the first few years of his rule, he suppressed with the help of British special forces an insurgency in the southern province of Dhofar by tribesmen backed by the Marxist People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.
He pursued a neutral path in foreign affairs and was able to facilitate secret talks between the United States and Iran in 2013 that that led to a landmark nuclear deal two years later
Absolute rule
Sultan Qaboos was described as charismatic and visionary, and he was widely regarded as popular. But he was also an absolute monarch and any dissenting voices were silenced.
A degree of discontent surfaced in 2011 during the so-called Arab Spring.
Using its oil wealth, Sultan Qaboos drew Oman into the modern world and brought its people prosperity
There was no major upheaval in Oman, but thousands of people took to the streets across the country to demand better wages, more jobs an end to corruption.
Security forces initially tolerated the protests, but later used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to disperse them. Two people were killed and dozens of people were injured. Hundreds were prosecuted under laws criminalising "illegal gatherings" and "insulting the sultan".
The protests failed to produce anything in the way of major change. But Sultan Qaboos did remove several long-serving ministers perceived as corrupt, widened the powers of the Consultative Council, and promised to create more public sector jobs.
Since then, the authorities have continued to block local independent newspapers and magazines critical of the government, confiscate books, and harass activists, according to Human Rights Watch.
Source: BBC
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Habari zaidi kufuata hivi punde. Sultan Qaboos alikuwa kiongozi anayeheshimiwa siyo ndani tu ya Oman bali katika maeneo yote yaliyopata kuwa chini ya Himaya Kubwa ya Oman yaani toka pwani za Dubai, Burundi, Rwanda, Mashariki ya DR Congo, Somalia, Kenya, Tanganyika na Mozambique.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said akiwa na mgeni wake Benjamin Netanyahu waziri mkuu wa Israel
Habari toka katika Maktaba ya JamiiForums:
Hapo December 31, 2019 baada ya kusikia hali ya kiafya ya Mtukufu Sultan Qaboos watu wa kawaida walifanya duwaa kumuombea afya yake iimarike.
December 31, 2019
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Dua kumuombea Kiongozi wa Oman
Watu katika kijiwe maarufu cha Jaw's Corner cha Mji Mkongwe wa Zanzibar wamejitokeza kumuombea dua kiongozi wa Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said, ambaye inaarifiwa kuwa ni mgonjwa
Source: Weyani TV
Nzega Ndogo, Tabora
Tanzania
Sikiliza historia ya familia ya Bahrwani Yahya bin Khalid iliyo na mizizi kijijini Nzega Ndogo.
Kuna Omani ya Nzega Tabora pia hii ni kuonesha Tanzania ni kubwa inafika Basra, Iraq ambapo Kiswahili kinaongewa kwa siri katika majumba ya wenyeji na kwa uwazi kama lugha ya mama Muscat Oman bila kusahau Shirazi Iran
Siasa za Jiografia na politiki (Geopolitics) nafasi ya Oman, nchi za Marekani na Uingereza kufuatilia nani kuwa mrithi:
Marekani na Uingereza wanaitazama Oman kama eneo muhimu ktk kuhakikisha usalama na udhibiti wa uchumi wa kidunia.
Msiba huu mzito tutegemee kuona viongozi wazito wa Marekani, Uingereza, Iran, Israel na maeneo ya ghuba kujumuika na kugongana mabega. Msiba huu kutokana na heshima ya Marehemu Qaboos ambaye viongozi wengi wa nchi walimkimbilia ili aweze kusuluhisha changamoto za maeneo ya ghuba na Mashariki ya Kati.
Source: Stratfor
22 Sep 2017
Sultan Qaboos amefanya mengi kwa Watanzania ikiwemo masuala ya kijamii, utalii, elimu n.k
Mfalme wa Oman, SULTAN QABOUS alijitolea kujenga msikiti mkubwa visiwani Zanzibar, na kufunguliwa rasmi na RAIS wa Zanzibar na Mwenyekiti wa Baraza la Mapinduzi Mh. Dkt Ali Mohammed Shein.
Source: KTV TZ online
September 24, 2017
Zanzibar, Tanzania
OmanPride: His Majesty's mosque in Zanzibar opens - The grand mosque Jamia Masjid Zenjibari Zanzibar
His Majesty's first grand mosque in Zanzibar which can accommodate up to 1,600 people, has been officially opened, the government announced.
Under the patronage of His Excellency Dr Ali Mohammad Shein, President of Zanzibar, the mosque was opened on Friday.
Built under the orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the mosque is a reflection of the deep historical ties between the Sultanate and Zanzibar.
The President of Zanzibar, in his speech, deepened the historical relations between the two friendly peoples and cherished the contribution to the establishment of this Islamic and cultural building.
"I thank His Majesty the Sultan for the construction of this great Islamic edifice which I was honoured to inaugurate, which is a beautiful and spacious building here in Zanzibar and will benefit the Zanzibari people through its facilities and the techniques that the mosque contains," Shein said.
The mosque includes multiple facilities such as a main prayer hall, which can accommodate more than 1300 people. An external prayer room accommodates more than 250 worshipers and a prayer room for women has a capacity for 300.
The mosque is also equipped with classrooms, a language and computer lab, and a multi-purpose hall and science library.
The grand mosque is distinguished by its unique architecture, which combines originality and modernity. In addition, the architecture reflects Omani, African and Islamic inscriptions in its designs.
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UPDATE:
Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq ametawazwa rasmi kuwa mrithi wa Marehemu Sultan Qaboos wa Oman aliyefariki leo januari 11.
Haitham bin Tariq (66) anarithi kiti hicho kufuatia kifo cha binamu yake Sultan Qaboos aliyetawala tangu miaka ya 70 alipofanya mapinduzi na kumtoa baba yake.
Haitham msomi wa elimu ya juu alipata pia kuwa Kiongozi wa Chama cha Soka cha Oman, katibu Mkuu wa Mambo ya Nje na baadae Waziri wa Utamaduni.
January 11, 2020
Muscat, Oman
Siku tatu za maombolezo Oman baada ya Maulana Mtukufu Sultan Qaboos kuaga dunia.
Naye mrithi wa Qaboos bin Said, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said mara baada ya kuchukua mamlaka kama mtawala wa Oman amesema atafuta nyanyo za marehemu Sultan Qaboos ili kuhakikisha Oman inazidi kupiga hatua kimaendelea na pia kuwa kimbilio la nchi zingine kwa kuwa mpatanishi wa changamoto zinazoikabili eneo hilo la dunia .
Oman has declared three days of mourning after the death of its leader, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. The region's longest-ruling monarch died after a long illness, at the age of 79. His cousin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has been sworn-in as his successor.
Source: Aljazeera
