Muscat: Omanis expressed outrage on Thursday when France’s Arabic-language radio station Monte Carlo Doualiya (MCD) that launched in Oman in January hosted a gay Omani activist on Tuesday.

In the interview, the Omani said he is ready to help other gays in Oman.

“I can’t tell my family that I am a homosexual,” said the guest who is in his 30s. He said he told his family he will never speak to them again if they pressure him to get married. Sodomy is a criminal offense according to the Oman Penal Law, but there is no law against homosexuality.

Anyone found guilty of promoting sodomy can be sentenced to jail between 3-5 years.

Social media users in Oman erupted in heated discussions over the interview. A hashtag was launched demanding the ‘shutting down of Monte Carlo’ with over 5,000 tweets.

Lamar Al Balushi, blasted Monte Carlo in a social media post, accusing it of promoting values opposed in the Islamic Sharia.

Al Rashdi, another tweep, said the interview helped spread immorality in the country by promoting homosexuality.

“What Monte Carlo did, is an insult to the state’s status and reputation as well as the image of the Omanis,” said Al Rashdi.

Ahmad Al Farsi, urged Omani authorities to track down the guest and refer him to authorities for further investigation.

Zakariah Al Mahrami, a noted Omani scholar, said that people should be more open to such debates, saying that they are ‘very healthy’. The Ministry of Information responded quickly and said that it will take legal action against the radio channel.

The channel has not broadcasted for two days now.

A weekly tabloid newspaper was suspended by the Ministry of Information for a period of time in 2013, for writing a sympathetic article about homosexuality in Oman.

The article mentioned that Oman is more tolerant, compared to other gulf states about people’s sexuality, which sparked a huge controversy in the country.

Later, the tabloid published an a apology on the front page saying, “There was never any intention to knowingly or unknowingly cause harm, offend or hurt the sentiments of the people with our article”.

Article 31 of the Omani Publishing and Publication Law forbids publishing or disseminating news that would incite people to commit crimes, provoke hatred or spread obscenity in society.

Anyone found guilty of such acts can be sentenced to a three-year jail term and slapped with a 2,000 riyal fine.