Ghalib bin Ali bin Hilal al-Hinai () (c. 1912 – 29 November 2009) was the last elected imam (ruler) of the Imamate of Oman.
Early life and career
Prior to assuming the role of imam, Ghalib served as the qadi (judge) of Rustaq and Nizwa. He later served as the treasurer of the imamate. After the predecessor, Imam Alkhalili, died on 3 May 1954, Ghalib al-Hinai was elected to be the imam (ruler). His father, Ali bin Hilal al-Hinai, previously served as the wali (governor) of Rustaq. His brother Talib bin Ali would become an effective and determined leader in the imamate's revolt against the sultan of Muscat in the 1950s.
History
Oman was split between the interior, which was known as the Imamate of Oman, and the coastal Oman, known as the Sultanate of Muscat. The British government exercised vast control over the Sultanate as the defence secretary and chief of intelligence, chief adviser to the sultan and all ministers except for two were British. Shortly after Imam Ghalib was elected in 1954, he led the Imamate of Oman in the Jebel Akhdar War against sultan Said Bin Taimur, backed by the British government.
In 1937, an agreement between the sultan and a subsidiary of Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC), a consortium of oil companies that is largely British owned, was signed to grant oil concessions to IPC, in which the sultan received a sizable signature bonus. IPC informed the sultan that potential oil may exist in the interior of Oman and offered financial support to raise an armed force against any potential resistance by the Imamate. The British government favoured IPC's plan as it sought benefits from the expansion of the Sultanate's territory and considered oil discovery in Oman as a valuable insurance against the insecurity of other parts of the Middle East. The planning of occupying and creating further tension within the interior started early in 1945 as news broke out that Imam Alkhalili, the predecessor to Imam al-Hinai, was ill and the sultan expressed his interest to the British government of occupying the interior right after the death of the Imam.
The idea of having the oil company negotiate directly with the interior of Oman was not favored by the British political agent who resided in Muscat providing the justification that it would mean recognizing the authority of the Imamate and it would increase its prestige- which would not favor IPC deal. The British Political Agent believed that the only method of granting the oil company access to the interior was by assisting the sultan in occupying the Imamate. The position of the British government was thereafter to eliminate any possibility of entering into direct relations with the interior in order not to alienate the sultan and to avoid invalidating the claim of IPC that its concession from the sultan covers the entirety of Oman. In 1946, the British government provided arms and ammunition, auxiliary supplies and officers to occupy the interior. In September 1946, the British government studied the proposal that was promised to the sultan of using the British Royal Air Force (RAF) to occupy the interior. The British government concluded that it is reluctant "in principle" to the use of force for the reason of avoiding international criticism that may lead to the calling of the British government before the United Nations Security Council but they executed anyway waging war for over 5 years between the two Head of Estate on the battle ground Jabel Akhdar (The Green Mountain) with over 2,000 martyrs losing their lives. Meanwhile, the British government recognized that the use of RAF would expedite oil exploration operations in the interior of Oman.