Shattering the Peace

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At least six people, including four Pakistanis, were killed in an attack near a Shia mosque in Oman’s capital of Muscat on Monday night, a rare occurrence of violence in what is one of the most stable countries in the Middle East, the BBC reported.

Omani police said on Tuesday it had killed the three gunmen involved, whose motive is still unclear. Meanwhile, local media reported that 28 people of “different nationalities” were injured in the attack.

Worshippers had gathered at the mosque on the eve of Ashura, a Shia day of mourning that commemorates the battlefield martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

Verified video footage showed people running after gunfire broke out.

Though no one claimed responsibility for the attack, supporters of the so-called Islamic State (IS), a Sunni jihadist group, are believed to be responsible.

IS has previously carried out attacks against Shia Muslims, whom they consider heretics, killing dozens in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in attacks in 2015, Le Monde wrote.

But Oman, where Muslims by and large belong to the Sunni and Ibadi branches of Islam, has been one of the most peaceful countries in the Middle East, regularly taking on the role of mediator in conflicts elsewhere in the region.

“Whoever has done this is just trying to create hatred, but we should stand united during these testing times and emerge stronger,” one resident told Dubai-based newspaper, The National.