Muscat - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Nope. I've never seen this many females in a Middle Eastern country drive by themselves... - Jan 2022
Less than you would expect in this region. Omanis are known for being egalitarian and polite, which is very accurate. - Dec 2018
Not for us Americans. The Indian and Bangladeshi laborers are treated pretty horribly. I have watched Omanis at the grocery store shove these folks aside while waiting in the checkout line - literally insisting they give up their spot towards the front of the line versus waiting back 10 people. It's awful. There are regular gatherings of Indians next door at the Indian embassy who are there to report they haven't been paid their wages in many many months. They live in labor camps with 40 men sleeping side by side on the floor. - Feb 2018
Local women are usually stay-at home moms and don't work. In recent years there has been a hard effort on the part of the locals to employ more women and fight for equal rights for both genders. As far as the expat community is concerned, there is no prejudices or concerns. - Aug 2017
Omanis in general are very tolerant of other religions and women have many more freedoms here than other Muslim countries. But, there are still many limitations on appropriate dress for women. - Oct 2014
Nothing overt or pronounced, but bias does exist. Religions are practiced openly here. - Jun 2012
No. Oman is a very open country. With many Indian and Filipino catholics here, and Indians of various religious denominations. There are many places of worship here. - May 2012
None! - Aug 2011
there are some undercurrents amoung some of the local Omanies regarding non Oman Muslims - Feb 2011
There is a caste system of sorts, but white collar expats are at the top. I was saddened at least to see how domestic help was treated by nationals. - Apr 2010
Again, the single blond female will have times where they are harassed and if your Asian, Indian decent and even if your a white collar expat you will be harassed. There are I think 2 places of worship for Christians and as long as your not trying to convert you'll do fine. You cannot have official or even informal religious gatherings in your home. - Feb 2010
If you are East Asian or South Asian, Omanis automatically assume you are a blue-collar guest worker and may badly mistreat or ignore you. Once they figure out that you're someone of consequence (e.g., a diplomat!), the attitude improves considerably, but it can be tiring being treated poorly on a regular basis by people who don't know who you are. As for religious/gender prejudice, I'm sure that as a conservative Islamic society Oman does exhibit some behaviors that we would consider prejudicial towards non-Muslims and women, but nothing like what you hear about surrounding countries. - Jan 2010
Overall, Muscat is very moderate for an Islamic capital and the Omanis are tolerant people. Dressing modestly and behaving appropriately- no loud or public displays of affection- go a long way in how you are treated. Asian Americans have reported having more issues when mistaken for imported laborers. - Mar 2009
Oman is still in many ways a traditional Arab society and definitely a Muslim one. Women do work, have basic civil rights, and even hold high government posts. Because of the country's ties to East Africa and especially Zanzibar, there is a strong African influence in some ways, but also some color prejudice. Asian expatriates report sometimes being condescended to, as a result of the large number of Indian and Philippine-national laborers and domestics inteh country. There is basic religious freedom but all non-Muslim worship and display is discreet. - Feb 2008
