The "Protests" here in Muscat

 
Well there was quite the pa-lava over the weekend with the US Embassy sending out a warning, and then the UK Embassy getting on board and sending one out as well on Friday morning. Not really a lot happened in the end. On Thursday night, the ROP moved in and shut down the Embassy road with a roadblock at either end of it, thus preventing people to actually get to the US Embassy and then start their protest.


Friday morning saw a much larger presence of the ROP along with a bunch of trucks that were ones I've not seen before: heavy duty dark blue SUV's with all the windows covered in metal mesh grills as well as the hoods (bonnets) of the trucks as well.

But the angry mob never materialized, just a peaceful group of men holding signs written in Arabic. No idea what they said but they were not blocking any roads, were not chanting or throwing anything, they were just pissed off and making their displeasure known peacefully.


It seems the chaps down in Salalah were a little more prepared to march, and Dhofari Gucci shared a picture of the protest down there on her blog.

It's good to see that Omani's are not as ready to start throwing stones and rioting as, say, those in Egypt, Yemen or any of the rest of the countries in which violence is going on as a result of "that film". Perhaps that's a nod towards the Imams in the mosques here, who may have helped people realise that this entire thing is stupid. I don't know, it might have just been too hot.

7 people have lost their lives over these protests so far, 7. That is quite simply ridiculous. It's a stupid film made by a guy who clearly had an agenda and has managed to evoke this much of a reaction in people. People insult people every day, it doesnt mean you have to go and start burning flags and generally start breaking stuff. I'll also note it seems to be predominantly (in the news films from around the middle east) young men who are the most incensed. Quite why they are holding the US Embassies around the world accountable, I'm not really sure. I didn't see a mass outpouring of thanks and flowers and chocolates and what not when the latest 2 Fast 2 Furious movie was released (also made in America) and played to packed houses across the region for weeks and weeks - so why the flag burning and general need to throw stuff at the American Embassies now then?

Ridiculous, I hope it all ends soon and no one else gets hurt, let alone killed. The British Embassy has advised that again today it may be that a protest may start from 3pm on Embassy road - if it was anything like yesterday, I say let them: they were not harming anyone or causing any nuisance.

le fin.
The "Protests" here in Muscat The "Protests" here in Muscat Reviewed by Sythe on Saturday, September 15, 2012 Rating: 5

12 comments:

  1. oman clamped down on embassy road. which i think its the best thing ever because this whole situation is f"ing ridicolous !!!!
    the best answer for stupid ppl is silence! but i guess ppl just want to uprise for anything.

    glad oman didnt get into any of this rioting stupidity.

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  2. Well I feel the Omani police have learned, now we have anti-rioting gear..


    I understand people demonstrate around the embassies, but being violent is stuiped - those Americans have nothing to do with the movies.
    America must stop the hateful racism crime and educate their people if they want to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world.

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  3. "America must stop the hateful racism crime and educate their people if they want to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world."

    I thought America has already been trying very hard to win the hearts and minds of Muslims! What America can't do is change freedom of speech just to appease Muslims!

    It is funny that one Saudi sheikh asked Christians to condemn the movie "becaue Mohammed and Jesus are brothers." I think the other day a very very dirty picture was published somewhere to insult Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism. Christians should condemn that picture first!

    Btw, the movie is very stupid, but many people today believe in its story. I mean what's thought to be insulting to Muslims is actually true to some people.

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  4. Very good point about the movies. Well said all round

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  5. Seen the film that caused all this uproar - and must say it was a very typical and expected rhetoric of hate filled individuals. The sad part is that we do have sheep in Islamic world especially in Adia and North Africa who want to use anything to air their frustrations at. Sad individuals who have never studied the religion and depend on backward Imams and Mullahs. Whoever posted that film wanted this reaction and their motives leaves many questions - is it political or personal. Shame on them and shame on those who fell into the trap laid for them.

    A.A.Ali

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  6. I was watching the progress of this and I was then distracted by Kate's tits.

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  7. I guess millions of Christians are deeply offended that Muslims say that Jesus is not the Son of God, but only a prophet. Amazingly, no Christians have deemed it necessary to burn down any Embassies.

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  8. What the hell does any idiot :Muslim" think USA had to do with making that insulting film?

    Even the actors in it didn't know what it would be used for.

    I cried for the family of the US diplomat in others who were murdered in Libya out of ignorance and hatred. It is shameful for Muslims.

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  9. Because Christian literature itself calls the fact into question, especially the oldest Christian texts. Divinity was transferred during a political context. Conference of Nicea. Where the level of powers and divinity of/ascribed Jesus was decided in a split vote. Easy to reference.;). Doesn't make the morality or importance of faith as applied Biblically by Jesus any less, whether ascribed to as Prophet or more. Jewish law says don't murder. Jesus said don't murder. Islam forbids murder. and, lol, that's not to say Christianity didn't have its rampaging ignorant phase in history either (crusades anyone where Jews and Muslims were treated dispicably). I am just ashamed this seems to be the dark ages for the Arab and North African (predominately muslim) world.

    As Mr. Sythe observed, those incensed are mainly young men that seem to have no real religious affiliation and want an excuse to vent their feelings of triviality and lack of use to affect change by attempting to attch themselves to a heroic, preserving image they have no understanding of or part to play in.

    That aside, the main headscartcher is,

    Religion regardless, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Seikh, or Jane, anyone who links an embassy to the work of an independent individual is an idiot. And anyone who kills someone injustly without that person having personally inflicted upon them a crime of the same or increased measure, is a murderer. I think all faiths are inaccordance at least textually on that matter.

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  10. The sad thing is that the ambassador to Libya and the other guys that were murdered (let's not say killed, it was murder) probably agreed that the film was wrong and that it was done for all the wrong reasons.

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  11. People in West should know how much we Muslims love our beloved Prophet (pbuh). And they are willing to sacrifice their lives for him.

    People in Europe can be jailed for just questioning the actuality of the holocast massacre because it hurt the sentiments of the Jews.
    Muslims are being hurt in the name of ‘freedom of speech’ which cannot be acceptable and require proper legislation to be made to avoid such incidence.

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  12. Why should people in the West know how much you love your prophet? It staggers me how little Muslims here know about many things in the Western world.
    Unfortunately Muslims are not sacrificing their lives for him, they are murdering non-Muslims because of it. I don't recall any news of Muslims dieing due to the screening of a film that would have not been seen by more than a handful of people had some idiots gone on a rampage, most of whom I have no doubt have never heard of YouTube, never mind watched any excerpts from the film in question.

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