Sayyed Qaboos bin Said Al Said (Arabic: قابوس بن سعيد آل سعيد born November 18, 1940 in Salalah) is the current Sultan of Oman. He rose to power after overthrowing his father, Sa’id ibn Taimur, in 1970.
| Sayyed Qaboos bin Said Al Said Sultan of Oman قابوس بن سعيد آل سعيد | |
|---|---|
| Sultan of Oman | |
| File:Qaboos.jpg | |
| Reign | July 23 1970 - Present |
| Predecessor | Said bin Taimur |
| Successor | Incumbent |
| Father | Said bin Taimur |
| Mother | Muzon bin Ahmed |
Rise to Power
Qaboos describes a lonely and restrictive childhood in which he was forbidden to visit the beach, play games, or talk with his tutors about things unrelated to his studies. At the age of 16 he was sent to England to a private academy for 5 years, where he became an expert horseman and developed a taste for classical music. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1962 and became an officer of the British Army's Scottish Rifles, serving in Germany for a year. [1]
For six years prior to Sa’id ibn Taimur's overthrow, Qaboos was under virtual house arrest in the royal palace of Salalah. In July of 1970, soldiers supporting Qaboos clashed with forces loyal to Sa'id ibn Taimur, and deposed him. [2] The British government helped to consolidate Qaboos' power and the country was renamed from Muscat and Oman to the Sultanate of Oman. [3]
The first immediate problem that Qaboos faced as Sultan was an armed Communist insurgency from South Yemen, the Dhofar War. The Sultan quickly defeated the incursion with help from the Iranian Army and the British Royal Air Force.
Reign as Sultan
The political system which Qaboos established is that of an absolute monarchy. Unlike the situation in neighboring Saudi Arabia, Qaboos' decisions are not subject to modification by other members of Oman's royal family.
Government decisions are said to be made through a process of decision-making by "consensus" with federal, provincial, local and tribal representatives. Critics allege that Qaboos exercises de facto control of this process. Qaboos also regularly engages in tours of his country, in which any citizen with a grievance or request is (at least in theory) allowed to appeal to the sultan in person. Critics claim these meetings to be scripted as well.
More recently Qaboos has allowed parliamentary elections (in which women have voted and stood as candidates), and pledged greater openness and participation in government. As yet, however, this parliament lacks substantial political power.
Qaboos's supporters point to his relative success in governing the country. By Gulf standards, Oman boasts good public order (it is basically a safe country, even for foreigners), middling prosperity (given its level of oil revenues) and permissive society. Full democracy, they say, might threaten these accomplishments.
Unlike the heads of other Gulf states, Qaboos has not publicly named an heir, though he claims to have done so in the form of sealed letters, to be opened after his death. Critics fear that the lack of clarity could inspire a power-struggle among members of his family and/or the military. Assuming that he dies a natural death several decades hence, this event would coincide with the expected depletion of Oman's oil supplies.
Personal
Sultan Qaboos is a Muslim of the Ibadhi sect, which has traditionally ruled Oman. (It is a point of political dispute whether Ibadhis or Sunnis constitute a majority of Oman's population.) A religious liberal, he has financed the construction of a number of mosques as well as the holy places of several other religions.
Qaboos was married briefly during the 1970's. He has no children.