Show caption: Insulting Oman's flag and emblem were already punishable wit…
Contempt for 'Salute to the Sultan' to be punished under new decree
The National
November 01, 2026
Insulting the national anthem of Oman could now result in a three-year prison sentence under a decree issued by Sultan Haitham.
The punishment for failing to respect the anthem Salute to the Sultan has been brought in line with the penalty for insulting the country's flag.
Published on Sunday, the decree covers anyone who "desecrates the anthem verbally, in writing, by gesturing, by distorting it, or by committing any other act that conveys hatred or contempt".
Anyone found guilty of such behaviour is to be imprisoned for no less than three months and no more than three years, the decree says. The same penalty already applies to anyone who lowers or destroys Oman's flag, or conveys "hatred or contempt" for the flag or emblem.
No reason was given for the crackdown.
Several other countries have introduced similar laws. France passed a law in 2003 introducing fines for booing the national anthem, La Marseillaise.
Hong Kong introduced prison sentences of up to three years in 2020 for insulting China's anthem, March of the Volunteers. A first prison sentence was handed down in 2023 to a man who mixed the anthem with a protest song.
Oman's Salute to The Sultan was composed in 1932. It was rewritten in 1970 after Sultan Qaboos came to power, and again in 2020 when he was succeeded by Sultan Haitham.
Updated:
November 01, 2026, 6:14 PM
Source: The National
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