author - oman observer

Oman continues to offer something precious: a society held together by family, faith and strong communities. That is not a romantic slogan, but a real social strength: one that deserves recognition at...

In the UK, suicide rates have not risen simply because the population has grown. Over the past century, the population increased steadily while suicide rates rose and fell with social change. From the...

When I was studying French at university I read Voltaire’s Candide for the first time, and I have never quite forgotten it.Voltaire was a famous author and political analyst. I was struck by...

Israel’s politics are driven above all by security. It is the yardstick by which most voters judge competing parties. For most Israelis, the case for a two-state solution is not a moral argument; it...

There are times when world events stop feeling distant and affect your personal life. War does that. Political loyalties do too. And you may have to reconsider friendships which conflict with your...

Trump’s existential threats against Iran, together with Israel’s decision to launch this illegal and unprovoked war against Iran, have left diplomacy badly damaged and made an early end to the...

The title of this article is taken from Edwin Starr’s song 'War' recorded in 1970. The lyrics continue by answering this question with 'absolutely nothing, stand up and shout...

You’d probably laugh, as I do, if you could hear the concern from friends and family back in the UK when they ask whether I feel safe living in Oman, especially given the current regional...

I was sitting in a bank in Muscat waiting while my wife dealt with some account matters, when a quiet moment turned into an unexpected conversation. Beside me sat a gentleman whom I greeted with...

Karim Easterbrook As an expat with an Omani wife and spending most of the year living in Oman, it has taken me time to fully understand why the country is so successful, both as a society and as a...

Islam is a religion of peace, as are Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism. Humanism, too, is a pathway of peace. During Ramadhan, Muslims are obligated to remember those who suffer under the weight of...

We live on a small, fragile planet, spinning silently through space, bound by gravity to a single star, the Sun, which lies about ninety-three million miles from the Earth. That star itself is one...

Ramadhan is a month in which Muslims are commanded to slow down, restrain anger, reflect on conduct and deepen responsibility toward others. Fasting is not merely abstention from food and drink; it is...

Muslims fast during the month of Ramadhan as an act of obedience to Allah and as one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which form the core of Muslim faith and practice. The fast, from dawn to sunset, is...

Many people look forward to retirement as a reward for decades of hard work, imagining a life free from pressure, deadlines and responsibility. Whether you are already retired, approaching it, or...

I am seventy‑five years old, I take 5 grammes of creatine monohydrate every day and I do mild muscle training daily as part of my routine. I have been taking a creatine supplement for two years...

I grew up as a small boy in England, living in a caravan in the Oxfordshire countryside. By modern standards, many would assume this was a deprived childhood. There was no running water, no...

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has taken important measures to protect young Omanis in particular from the growing risk that artificial intelligence poses to jobs and long‑term employment...

The Sultanate of Oman is drawing attention from investors and from people seeking refuge from a world marked by conflict and disorder. I count myself among those who have found in Oman a second home....

Oman is the most civilised country I have known, a place where courtesy is not performed but lived, where strangers are received without suspicion and where dignity is ingrained. Its culture is deep...