Lessons from the Al Amerat controversy

What can we learn from the uproar over the recent Indian community event at Al Amerat Park? Why did it draw so much attention, especially online? And what if the event had been a religious ritual rather than a cultural performance, as the Indian Club later clarified? This article is not based on a full investigation, but on the echoes that reached the writer’s ear. Yet those reactions suggest that a debate took place, with differing views. That, in itself, is a healthy sign. The danger lies not in disagreement, but in the rigid attitude that insists on imposing one opinion and excluding all others. A society that tolerates only one voice risks losing its vitality.
Openness to other cultures is not a slogan for exhibitions or glossy magazines. It is a way of life. Anyone familiar with Oman’s geography and history knows that the Arabian Peninsula has always been a meeting point between East and West. Its people maintained strong connections with the surrounding world through trade, travel and migration. The Indian Ocean basin was one of the world’s great crossroads, linking ports and peoples in exchange and mutual respect. Civilisations have always thrived through openness; those that isolated themselves eventually declined.
From the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians to later Asian and Arab cultures, the story of civilisation has always been one of exchange. Islam itself embodied this openness, crossing languages and ethnicities and turning difference into strength. Centuries later, Western nations embraced the same principle, recognising that contact with other cultures enriches the host.
No human being is self-sufficient. From birth, we depend on others. Societies are no different. Arabia, despite its deserts and seas, was never cut off. Its people turned barriers into bridges, using ships and caravans to connect continents. Oman stood at the heart of this network, linking Africa, India and Asia long before globalisation became a word.
Even in periods when authorities sought isolation, people’s instinct for exploration prevailed. In the mid-twentieth century, many young Omanis left in search of opportunity abroad. Neither strict governance nor religious conservatism could suppress that natural urge for a wider horizon. Human nature, it seems, always seeks openness.
Turning back to the recent incident, we must remember that our societies are not products of the last few decades but reflections of centuries of contact. Oman’s social fabric includes threads from many cultures. The Indian presence, for instance, dates back millennia. Indian merchants settled in Oman long before oil was discovered; many families became part of Omani society and contributed to its culture. In modern times, Indian workers—especially from Kerala—have played a vital role in Oman’s development, from construction and engineering to education and healthcare. The exchange has never been one-sided: Arabs too settled in India and the Far East, blending with local communities and leaving traces still visible today.
What is striking, however, and what the Al Amerat incident revealed, is that this long coexistence has not been matched by deeper cultural understanding. Extremist rhetoric, imported and local, has managed to breed suspicion where there was once familiarity. The older generations who crossed the seas to trade and learn built bridges that their descendants now struggle to rebuild in spirit. The voices of intolerance, amplified by politics and media, find receptive audiences even in societies long known for tolerance.
True civilisation does not grow from hostility or exclusion. It thrives on openness, curiosity and respect. The narrower a society’s vision, the weaker it becomes. Mutual respect cannot be achieved through shouting or fear, but through conduct and empathy. Coexistence among religions and cultures is one of humanity’s oldest achievements, and it must be protected and strengthened, not turned into a source of suspicion.
Those who exaggerated the Al Amerat event, portraying it as an attack on faith or identity, missed the essence of civilisation itself. Such alarmism neither safeguards religion nor preserves culture—it only deepens division. Real strength lies in confidence, not fear. Religion, as the Prophet taught, is good conduct, and persuasion through wisdom is the basis of true dialogue. Civilisation is built by open minds, not closed fists.
Translated by Badr al Dhafari
The original version of this article was published in Arabic in the Oman Arabic newspaper on November 2, 2025