Here is the English abstract of Rasoul Balawi (Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Persian Gulf University)'s presentation at the 14^nd pre-con meeting of the conference “Imam Reza (PBUH) and Interreligious Dialogue" which was held in Persian Gulf University Bushehr, Iran on  December 26, 2023.

The Cultural and Social Contributions of Omani Women in the Country’s Modern Era

Honoring women is considered a civilized and valuable act, and a reflection of the requirements of the time. Islam has emphasized the need to honor women and restore their rights before international organizations paid attention to it. Islam has granted women the rights that were taken away from them in the pre-Islamic era, especially the right to vote, influence in making fateful decisions, and social presence. In the early days of Islam, women participated in the pledge of allegiance at Aqaba, just as they participated in the pledge of allegiance at Ridwan, which took place under the tree (Samurah tree). Based on the teachings of Islam and the new civilizational perspective, since the emergence of the new movement in the Omani government, women have enjoyed a special position; because the wise leader of the movement (Sultan Qaboos) understood the role of women in all political, economic, scientific, educational and artistic fields. Women also responded well to this attention and participated in comprehensive development; for example, some of them took over important government positions. This research examines the cultural and social participation of Omani women during the new movement, whose principals were established by Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taymur and followed during the leadership of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. The most important findings of this research are as follows: 1. Omani women have equal opportunities with men in the field of education and work, and in this way, they can prove their success in various fields; while always keeping the ideals, values and identity of their country Oman in mind. 2. The joining of Omani women to the academic and innovation fields has shown their scientific and literary superiority; as they have won many scientific and literary prizes at the global and regional levels among their scientific activities and knowledge production. The findings of this research indicate that Oman has made great progress in promoting women's rights and their social presence. This progress is due to the teachings of Islam, the wise leadership of Sultan Qaboos, and the efforts of Omani women themselves.

Translator: Mahdi Qasemi