Religion in a Landscape of Change: The role of Ibadi-Islam in the Contemporary Omani Society

This thesis focuses on understanding the role of Ibadi-Islam in the contemporary Omani society, by looking at how Ibadi traditions are present in the daily lives of young Omanis. Furthermore, it also examines the role of the religious authorities and the government in portraying the Ibadi traditions. The construction of modern-state Oman that began with Sultan Qaboos in 1970 changed the role of religious authorities in the society. Subsequent discourses on religion were aligned with the sultan’s vision in developing the country without mentioning the past. The fieldwork for this research provided data for analysis with insights on how the Ibadi youth conceptualizes Ibadi-Islam. The various Ibadi traditions are daily selected, reinterpreted and reproduced by them, the political and the religious elite. In official public discourses, Ibadi-Islam is absent, there is not explicit reference but there are implicit values and principles, which guide the Omani identity.