Al‑Iqtisadiyah Newspaper
Imam Ghalib bin Ali Al‑Hinai was the last Imam of Oman. He was pledged allegiance as Imam in 1954 following the death of Imam Al‑Khalili. However, the outbreak of a fierce conflict in Jabal Al‑Akhdar in 1957 between the forces of the Imamate and the Sultanate’s forces—supported by Britain—ultimately led to his departure from Oman in 1959 and his political asylum with King Saud, may God have mercy on him, in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, accompanied by many of his followers and associates.
He settled in Dammam, where he established a government‑in‑exile that engaged in political activity aimed at asserting the legitimacy of the Imamate and seeking its recognition in order to join the Arab League, and to elevate what later became known as the “Oman Question” to both the Arab League and the United Nations. These efforts continued until Sultan Qaboos bin Said succeeded in unifying Oman under his leadership in the early 1970s.
Imam Ghalib spent the remainder of his life in Dammam as an honored political refugee, together with all members of his family, until his passing on 29 November 2009, after suffering from illness and old age