Muscat: Raheela Al Riyami, former Shura Council and State Council member passed away on Sunday. She was in her late 60s.
Al Riyami was the first Omani woman to be elected in the Shura Council in 2000, along with Lujaina Mohsin Darwish. She represented Bausher province of Muscat governorate.
It is unclear what the cause of death was.
She had been head of Educational Planning at the Ministry of Education for more than fifteen years before being elected to the council. She was re-elected in 2004 for the second time to represent her province.
When she won the Bausher seat, Raheela said that woman’s role is vital in serving society. “I’m not here to only represent women. I represent women, men, children and elderly people,” she said.
In 2007, she was appointed as a member at the State Council by a royal decree and headed the Human Resources Development Committee at the State Council.
In the 1990s, she was a member of the Omani Women’s Volunteering Work Society as well as a member at the Omani Association for Children With Disabilities.
Condolences and tributes poured in on social media platforms.
“You will be missed profoundly. Rest in peace,” said Bader Al Mamari, a Twitter user.
Ishaq Al Siyabi, former vice-chairman of the Shura Council, said that Al Riyami was an energetic member of the Shura Council and her main concern was to serve her nation.
Marwan Al Badi, another Twitter user, said that every Omani woman should be proud of Raheela.
