- Islam in Oman
The majority of
Oman is are IbadhiMuslims , followers of Abd Allah ibn Ibad. Approximately 25 percent areSunni Muslims and live primarily in Sur and the surrounding area and inDhofar . They form the largest non-Ibadi minority. TheShi'a minority live along Al Batinah and Muscat coasts. This minority includes theAl-Lawatis , theBahrani s of Bahrain descent, and theAjam , of vague origin but generally considered to originate in Iran.Ibadism is an outgrowth of the
Kharijites movement, a variant form of Islam practiced by descendants of a sect that seceded from the principal Muslim body after the death of the ProphetMuhammad in632 . Kharijites reject primogeniture succession of the Quraysh, the tribe of Muhammad, and assert that leadership of Islam, the caliphate, should be designated by an imam elected by the community from candidates who possess spiritual and personal qualities. Ibadhi leadership is vested in an imam, who is regarded as the sole legitimate leader and combines religious and political authority. The imam is elected by a council of prominent laymen or shaykhs. Adherence to Ibadism accounts in part for Oman's historical isolation. Ibadis were not inclined to integrate with their neighbours, as the majority of Sunni Muslims regard Ibadism as a heretical form of Islam.ee also
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Islam by country External links
* [http://www.mofa.gov.om Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
References
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