The publishers — Apex Press and Publishing — were asked by the ministry not to bring out this week’s issue. It is however not known if the order is for this week only or subsequent weeks also. The publishers only informed advertisers about the September 5 issue not coming out.
In a statement, carried by the government-owned Oman News Agency, the Ministry of Information stressed that while it believes in freedom of opinion and expression, that such freedom should be within the parameters of the country’s laws.
The Ministry statement said that the freedom “does not allow for the undermining of societal principles or abuse of its religion, its sensibilities, or the dignity of its people, or harming the status quo or public sensibilities by publishing what contradicts media laws and regulations and offends society, or the country”.
“Based on this, the publications committee has decided to refer the Editor-in-Chief and the writer of the article to public prosecution,” the statement says.
Sameer Al Zakwani, the brother of Publisher Saleh Zakwani, is listed in The Week as the Editor-in-Chief. The article was published without a byline.
Before the ministry action against the weekly, the article titled ‘The Outsiders’ created a stir with citizens demanding action against the paper for publishing the article.
Some of the Shura Council members as well as the Oman Journalist Association had also demanded a ban on the weekly for publishing what many readers perceived as offensive to Omani society and the country’s reputation.
The article evoked ire from cross section of people, who gave vent to their feelings on cyber space, including on microblogging site Twitter.
The topic was trending on Twitter last weekend with the Shura Council Chairman, Shaikh Khalid Bin Hilal Bin Naseer Al Maa’wali, assuring his followers on Twitter that the Media Committee at the Council will handle the issue.
Some people had objected to the tone of the article and felt it promoted homosexuality in Oman.
Tawfiq Al Lawati, Shura member from Muttrah constituency, summed up the general feelings of Omanis when he told Gulf News: “The tone of the article seemed that there was an attempt to promote the unnatural act as natural.”
Soon after barrage of criticism, the publisher, Saleh Al Zakwani, apologised in a statement on the home page of the publication’s website and the article was taken off the website.
