Cancelling holiday to Oman

[Confusedmothe]

i really hope this doesn’t come across as insensitive in light of all the recent news, my family and I are due to be going to Muscat next week for half term and I am getting really nervous of going. I see this as quite a fast moving situation and I would feel insensitive as a westerner going on holiday to a Middle East country in light of what is happening. Please let me know what you think?

Don't forget about the slavery there too.

I mean, fair point but I wouldn't say defending since the post wasn't about Oman's own political landscape. It was about safety in the context of the Israel/Palestine conflict.

They're most just answering if it's safe/insensitive to go there, not if it's morally acceptable to do so. People generally don't get criticized for financially supporting states like that with their tourism money.

I lived there for many years, and I’d certainly still go to Oman.

Your post was a joke??

Same here. @Saggypants

I would go to Muscat tomorrow if I could.

As an aside, the Omanis have had a strong alignment with the UK for many years because of the strategic importance of the Musundam Peninsula. They don't get involved in the other regions.

Go and enjoy the holiday - perfect time of year to go.

Agree with this, having been to Muscat once, l wouldn’t dream of going back there . The visit was part of a cruise itinerary, so, only there for a day, but thankfully l was with my husband. Cancel now.

@Confusedmothe Please can you elaborate on your post re why you wouldn’t go back? My husband is keen to visit Muscat and I’m interested to know pros and cons.

I can't imagine why the poster hates Oman. I travel there quite a lot from Doha and it is the gentlest place to visit. Warm and safe and friendly. And pp is right, Gulf states are very careful not to engage is conflict, they tend to keep themselves to themselves. Don't hate things or cultures just because you don't understand them.

Yabu. I think in the UK people have an idea of "sensitivity" meaning to avoid something entirely, which just doesn't exist in the Middle East. I speak as someone who lives in Israel less than 100 miles from the Gaza Strip - even here there is currently negligible physical danger (a couple of rockets crashed near here early in the war but none recently) and life, school, etc is going on pretty much as usual for those not directly caught up in the war. We continue to go to cafes and restaurants, not because we are insensitive to the situation, but rather because we are sensitive to local businesses facing hard times.

But even that sensitivity doesn't apply to Oman. From afar I get that the region looks like one big "Middle East" but in reality, the conflict is limited to very specific areas, and there is a negligible chance of spillover to Oman or the other Gulf states. Nobody will think you are insensitive going to visit as a Westerner unless you decide to parade around with slogans or try to get people to debate politics with you. On the contrary, I imagine locals will be glad you're not stereotyping the whole region.

I currently live in Oman and have never felt safer, especially as a single female.

Whilst Oman is Pro-Palestine, other than a few events having been cancelled and a handful of VERY peaceful protests/demonstrations to show their support, life here goes on as normal. In fact, there are lots of events going on for Christmas and New Year.

And yes, Oman does have laws against homosexuality, don't forget it wasn't a million years ago that the UK also did. Oman is progressing as a country and is very tolerant to the ways of others in the most part (I appreciate this is much easier for me to say as a white westerner and people from other nationalities may have a different view). The UK is far from perfect with its moral compass and just about any country that people wish to visit will have some sort of compromise regarding the laws/cultures of that land. As long as you are respectful in terms of dress and behavior then there really is no issues over here.

My concern about this part of the world is what happens in the probably tiny tiny percentage of cases where things go wrong? Eg minor altercation with local / traffic accident leads to allegation of blasphemy against you. I'm also under the impression that under Sharia law, the word of a woman isn't worth very much / half that of a man/ always disregarded in favour of male assertion. This makes me reluctant to travel to such regimes both on safety and moral grounds.

Friend is just back from Jordan which is very close to the hostilities. She ummed and ahhed but went and is very pleased she did. Not only did it feel perfectly safe but they were very pleased to see her and her family as many clients had cancelled

that all said, Oman is quite a long way from Israel so YABU.