Muscat: With heavy heart, Habiba Al Hinai and her son, Hafeed Abu Shanaq have to pack up their belongings to leave the country in June. Oman is the only country they have ever known.
Under the new Omani Nationality Act passed in 2014 (without the consultation of the Shura council), only Omanis can receive government university scholarships.
Hafeed cannot obtain Omani citizenship because his father is not Omani.
Although Hafeed spent his whole life in Oman and maintained an excellent academic record, he is forced to seek education abroad due to financial constraints.
“My son feels left out because his classmates discuss their plans for university in Oman,” Habiba told Gulf News.
Habiba, who has been active in championing women and children rights in Oman, says it is unfair that the new policy forces intelligent students with promising futures to study abroad.
She was forced to sell her plot of land, which she obtained from the government, to cover her son’s tuition fees for the past two years.
“We are leaving silently and without noise, but I fear we will never come back home,” Habiba said.
Her son, whose father is Lebanese with a German passport, cannot inherit anything from her, according to Omani law.
Habiba’s case is one among hundreds of cases of local women marrying non-Omanis.
“I want Hafeed to feel like any other Omani youth and to have aspirations to paint a brighter future for his country,” she said.
Under Oman’s nationality law, Omani men and women have to apply for permission from the Ministry of Interior to marry foreigners.
Omanis have launched a hashtag on Twitter, which translated from Arabic means, “yes for granting citizenship for children of Omani women married to foreigners”.
The hashtag has generated thousands of tweets, expressing solidarity with Habiba.
Ebrahim Abu Al Yas tweeted that authorities should grant Hafeed permanent residency.
Lamar Al Balushi tweeted that everyone must bear the consequences for their choices and abide by the law.
Over 80 Omanis have signed a petition asking Sultan Qaboos personally to grant Hafeed citizenship.
So far, 110 people have obtained Omani citizenship by royal decree this year. Applicants must have continuously lived in Oman for 20 years — 15 years if they are married to Omanis.
The applicant must also be fluent and be able to read and write in Arabic and they cannot be felons.
