When discussing the Zinjibari (Kharusi, 1) population in Oman, it is important to consider the Zinjibari’s relationship to the state of Oman, and whether the Zinjibari population can be considered a minority or not. This is a difficult question to answer for two reasons. First, the term “minority” is a relatively modern term originating in Post-World War I Europe (White, 24). It may not apply to the past and provide an accurate portrayal of the Zinjibari’s relationship to Omanis and the Sultanate at the time. Second, the power dynamics between the Zinjibaris and the Omanis in relation to the Omani government have changed throughout the decades, so it is difficult to define the status of the Zinjibaris and must be done at each stage in their history with Omanis. 

 

It must be discussed how minorities emerged and what characteristics define a minority. Benjamin Thomas White’s The Emergence of Minorities in the Middle East Chapter One provides excellent background into the emergence of minorities in modern civilization. White, a senior lecturer in history, is a well-known and widely published researcher focusing on the modern Middle East and his book includes his doctoral research in this field, making him an excellent source for understanding the Middle East and minorities in that region. 

 

White defines a minority as “a culturally defined group within a polity whose members face legal, political, or social disadvantages because of their cultural belonging (White, 21).” This “cultural belonging” includes common ties to descent, language, religion, and appearance. Though different cultural groups of people had lived side by side under the same empire for centuries, it wasn’t until the 20th century that the idea of minorities and majorities formed. This is due to the rise in nationalism in Europe during this time. 

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During the “Age of Nationalism”, modern states were created. When large empires collapsed, new states were formed and borders were redrawn post-World War I. As the new borders were forming, new nation-states were emerging, with each nation associated with nationality, religion, or shared culture. These groups wanted to be seen as independent nation groups (White, 21-22). When the major European powers redrew the European map, these new states or expansion of old states created significant problems because national groups were intermingling and wanted to be independent from their state’s official nationalism. This created the “minority problem” - what should these new states do with these minority groups that had their own shared culture and self-determination separate from state nationalism (White, 23). 

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Labeling any population group as a “minority” comes with problems. First, if trying to do this with a group that existed before World War I, the unique situations from the past may not be best explained by the term “minority”. Additionally, it is hard to define a minority group just by logistical factors such as being smaller than a different group under the same state (White, 26). So in order to use the concept of “minority” with groups, past and present, the concept must be applied in the correct situations. According to White, for the present: only once certain conditions and criteria associated with modern states and nations are achieved can there be minority groups and a majority. In the present, the state must present itself with a state nationalism that is the identity shared by a majority of the population. Any group that does not fall in that identity but physically falls in the state’s borders is, therefore, a minority (White, 27). For the past: even though one can’t accurately define these groups as minorities in the modern sense, this doesn't mean minorities didn't exist before 1914; it means that the term minority is not an accurate way to describe these groups in relation to the state. (White, 27)

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This analysis on minorities can then be applied to the history of the Zinjibari Omani minority in Oman. To understand whether the Zinjibari population in Oman can be considered a minority, one must look back on their relationship and analyze when this minority group emerged. Oman’s political control of the East African region began in the early 18th century after the Portuguese were expelled. This period of time came before British and European influence, so cultural groups tended to live together without anyone state nationalism or one state identity that everyone had to conform to. Despite the fact that the Zinjibari Omanis were a numerical minority, they are not considered a “minority” in the modern sense because of their immense power and their intercultural and interracial relations with the East Africans. There was substantial intermixing between the two groups and despite their power difference, there wasn’t a true majority/minority relationship. 

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Between 1858 to 1963, Zanzibar was a British protectorate (Oman Virtual Museum). Under British control, racial divisions were exacerbated and political power was handed to the Arab Zinjibaris over the East African Zinjibaris. This made racial tensions worse and power was in the hands of a numerical minority. When Zanzibar became a constitutional monarchy in 1963, the Arab minority were generally richer and more powerful than the Africans. During this period which came after World War I, the Zinjibari Arabs are technically a minority in size. Going by White’s definition of minority, while the Zinjibari Arabs are culturally a group distinguished by their ties of descent, language, and culture, they do not face legal, political, and social disadvantages due to their cultural belonging. Therefore during this time, the Zinjibari Arabs were not a minority.

No longer identifying with the new Zinjibari nationalism, the East Africans revolted in 1964. This 1964 Revolution resulted in between 1/10 to a ⅓ of the Zinjibari Arabs being killed. Many Zinjibari Arabs were able to flee to Oman (Oman Virtual Museum). When the Zinjibari Arabs reached Oman, they then became a minority group. Now, the Zinjibari Omanis faced significant prejudice and persecution under the Omani government. Though there was certainly intermixing of culture and tradition, the Zinjibari Omanis remain a minority group separate from Oman’s state nationalism.