Wednesday, March 4, 2009


Personal

Sultan Qaboos ibn Sa‘id is a Muslim of the Ibadi school of jurisprudence, which has traditionally ruled Oman.A religious liberal, he has financed the construction or maintenance of a number of mosques, notably the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, as well as the holy places of other religions.
In 1976 Qaboos ibn Sa‘id
married his cousin, Kamila, née Sayyidah Nawwal bint Tariq (born 1951), daughter of HH Sayyid Tariq ibn Taymur,but the marriage soon ended in divorce. He has no children. Within Oman, the rumor that he is homosexual may have diminished respect for him to an unknown degree, both as an observant Muslim and as a monarch perceived as not taking adequate measures to groom a dynastic successor.
Qaboos ibn Sa‘id is an avid fan and promoter of
classical music. His 120-member orchestra has a high reputation in the Middle East. Although initially trained by British professionals (who were paid much more than Omanis, whence most were recruited), the orchestra consists entirely of young Omanis who, since 1986, audition as children and grow up as members of the symphonic ensemble. They play locally and travel abroad with the sultan (although not to Salafi Saudi Arabia, because the orchestra mixes male and female musicians. Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin was commissioned to compose a work entitled Symphonic Impressions of Oman and is particularly enthusiastic about the pipe organ.[8] Such cultural innovations by the sultan have, however, been criticised as "just wasted money" because, as an Omani professional observed in 2001, "music diverts us from being serious about religion."

1 comment:

  1. our great H.M Sultan Qaboos thanks too you for the great leadership in oman. by praveen 96415851

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