Oman free of religious violence, says global report

Muscat: Oman is free of religious violence, a new global report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has said.

The USCIRF, an independent organisation that conducts research on the presence of freedom of religion and the right for people to practice their chosen faiths around the world, said that Oman was free of any form of religious violence.

The Oman Human Rights Commission, in this context, said: "The report issued by the US Commission for International Religious Freedom is free of any reference to the Sultanate in the violation of religious freedoms which clearly confirms the efforts exerted by various governmental bodies, especially the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, to consolidate religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence which guaranteed by the State's statutes where religious tolerance and co-existence with individuals of different nationalities and ethnic and religious authorities are a prominent sign of Omani society."

The OHRC added: "The annual report issued by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom indicated that the Sultanate had no reference to violations of religious freedoms, while the Committee classified 16 countries around the world as countries of grave concern about violations of religious freedoms. The Committee also placed 12 other countries on the list of second degree of religious violations."

The report also mentions numerous violations of religious freedoms in different parts of the world, where such states commit serious violations, or turn a blind eye to them.

The international reports praised the efforts of the Sultanate in this regard, including the report of the US Department of State on the religious freedoms enjoyed by Omanis and residents in the Sultanate. and according to the latest Global Competitiveness Report, the Sultanate ranked first in the world in terms of freedom from terrorism,

The Sultanate also ranked fourth in the world as the best destination for expatriates according to the survey conducted by Expat Insider. In addition, the law in the Sultanate criminalises the abuse of people on the basis of their faiths and religions.

The Omani Human Rights Commission expressed its happiness and appreciation for the lack of any negative aspects of religious freedom in the Sultanate, which clearly reflects the reality of Omani society under the social justice established by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos.