Haitham bin Tariq

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Haitham bin Tariq
A photo of Haitham aged 65
Haitham in 2020
Sultan and Prime Minister of Oman
Minister of Defence
Reign
11 January 2020 – present
Deputy
Predecessor Qaboos bin Said
Heir apparent Theyazin bin Haitham
Minister of Heritage and Culture
Tenure March 2002 – 1 March 2020
Prime Minister
Sultan Qaboos
Himself
Successor Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tenure 11 January – 18 August 2020
Prime Minister
Sultan Qaboos
Himself
Predecessor Qaboos bin Said Al Said
Successor Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi
Minister of Finance
Tenure 11 January – 18 August 2020
Prime Minister
Sultan Qaboos
Himself
Predecessor Qaboos bin Said Al Said
Successor Sultan bin Salem bin Saeed Al Habsi
Born (1955-10-11) 11 October 1955 (age 69)
Muscat, Oman
Spouse Ahad bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Busaidiyah (m. 1989)
Issue <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Full name
Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said
House Al Said
Father Sayyid Tariq bin Taimur
Mother Shawana bint Hamud bin Ahmad Al-Busaidiyah[citation needed]
Religion Ibadi Islam

Haitham bin Tariq Al Said GCMG GCVO (Arabic: هيثم بن طارق آل سعيد‎, translit. Haytham bin Ṭāriq Āl Saʿīd‎; born 11 October 1955[1][2]) is Sultan of Oman.

Prior to becoming sultan, Haitham served for multiple decades in the cabinet of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, his cousin. He was Minister of Heritage and Culture from 2002 to 2020.[3][4] Sultan Qaboos named Haitham as his successor in his will, and he was proclaimed sultan on 11 January 2020, hours after Qaboos's death.[5]

Biography

Haitham bin Tariq is a son of Sayyid Tariq bin Taimur, son of Sultan Taimur bin Feisal. Haitham has six brothers and two half-sisters (Amal and Nawwal who is the former wife of Sultan Qaboos). His brother Asa'ad bin Tariq was the Deputy Prime Minister for relations and international cooperation affairs and his brother Shihab bin Tariq is the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs (and the father of his daughter-in-law, Meyyan). His other brothers, Talal, Qais, Adham, and Faris, are all businessmen and are not involved in politics.[citation needed] He has four children, two sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Theyazin bin Haitham, is the crown prince of Oman.[6]

Haitham is described by The Economist as "outward-looking and Western-oriented".[7] He attended Pembroke College, University of Oxford, graduating from the Foreign Service Programme (FSP) in 1979.[8]

Political career

A sports enthusiast, Haitham served as the first head of the Oman Football Association in the early 1980s.[9] He served as the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs from 1986 to 1994, and was later appointed as the Secretary General for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1994–2002).[10][11] He was later appointed as Minister of Heritage and Culture in March 2002 and later chaired the national census committee in 2003.[12] He usually represented Oman abroad in a diplomatic capacity;[13] in 2016, he personally welcomed Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, on a visit to Oman.[14]

Haitham is also chairman of the committee for the future vision of "Oman 2040" along with being honorary president of the Oman Association for the Disabled.[15] His record in government under Qaboos has been described by The Economist as poor.[7]

Sultan of Oman

File:Secretary Pompeo Meets with the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (49565463757).jpg
Sultan Haitham bin Tariq meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Muscat, February 2020

After the death of his first cousin Sultan Qaboos on 10 January 2020, Haitham bin Tariq was named by the royal family and Qaboos's will as Sultan of Oman the next day and took an oath before an emergency session of the Council of Oman in Al-Bustan.[16] Oman state TV said the former sultan's letter was opened by the Defence Council and his identity was announced shortly thereafter.[17] As sultan, he also held the positions of prime minister, supreme commander of the armed forces, minister of defence, minister of finance, and minister of foreign affairs until 18 August 2020 when he appointed Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi as Foreign Minister and Sultan bin Salem bin Saeed al-Habsi as minister of finance.[18][19] In his first public speech, he promised to uphold his predecessor's peace-making foreign policy and to further develop Oman's economy.[14][20] Haitham bin Tariq is married and, unlike his predecessor, also has children, two sons and two daughters.[21][22]

On 12 January 2021, the Sultan issued a royal decree appointing his eldest son, Sayyid Theyazin, as the country's first crown prince.[23] He also changed the Basic Law of Oman to grant citizens and residents freedom of expression and opinion, removed a law that allowed the state to monitor private phone conversations, social media or postal correspondence, and granted the freedom to practice religious rites according to recognized customs provided it does not violate the public order or contradict morals.[24]

In May and June 2021, there were many protests against the government over economic concerns such as unemployment and corruption.[25] Some protesters were arrested and then released. [26][27]

Haitham's visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Kingdom have been seen as a move to maintain peaceful and cordial relations with Oman's important partners. His visit to Saudi Arabia was the first political visit by an Omani royal to the kingdom in over a decade.[28] During his visit to the United Kingdom, he met Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle and was honoured with a GCMG.[29]

Awards and decorations

Styles of
Sultan Haitham bin Tariq
National emblem of Oman.svg
Reference style His Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty

Foreign honours

References

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Haitham bin Tariq
House of Al Said
Regnal titles
Preceded by Sultan of Oman
2020–present		 Incumbent

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  4. ↑ Appointing a Minister of Heritage and Culture, Royal Decree No11/2002, issued on 14 February 2002, published in issue 713 of the Official Gazette
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