Oman free of any negative reference to freedom violation: Report

Muscat: The annual report released this week by the American Committee on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) indicated that the Sultanate had no reference to violations of religious freedoms, while the Committee classified 16 countries around the world as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) for engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations. Also, USCIRF placed 12 countries on its Tier 2 list, meaning the violations meet one or two, but not all three, of the elements of the systematic, ongoing, egregious test for CPC status.

USCIRF held a press conference in the US Senate to announce the contents of its report and recommendations to the US State Department. In its statement, the Committee pointed out that CPCs are those States that commit systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of the law, or turn a blind eye to such violations. The report also noted numerous violations of religious freedoms around the world, and to other countries where there are grounds for concern for religious freedoms.

On this subject, the Omani Committee for Human Rights said that the annual report issued by USCIRF which is free of any reference to the Sultanate in the violation of religious freedoms clearly confirms the efforts exerted by various governmental bodies, especially the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, to consolidate religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Religious tolerance and coexistence with individuals of different nationalities and ethnic and religious authorities is a prominent feature of Omani society. International reports have praised the Sultanate's efforts in this regard, including the US Department of State’s report on the religious freedoms enjoyed by Omanis and residents in the Sultanate.

The Sultanate was ranked first in the list of countries least affected by terrorism, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), and fourth in the world as the best destination for expatriates according to an exploratory survey conducted by (Expat Insider). the law in the Sultanate criminalizes any kind of abuse of other religions.