Data from cross-cultural populations suggest the existence of phenomenologically isomorphic attitudes and behaviors that predispose individuals to social phobiIn Arab/Islamic culture, there is a paucity of information about the rate of social phobiThis study attempts to identify the presence and severity of social phobia in an Omani college population. Thirty seven percent of the subjects were identified by the quick screening and portable questionnaire, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, compared to 54% identified during structured interview based on Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Fifty percent of the probable cases were males. The implication of the high rate of social phobia is discussed in terms of prevailing sociodemographic trends in Oman. This report suggests that psychiatric distress is more prevalent than previously thought.