Saudi Arabia - Safest Place on Earth
In my article Muslim Cruises and Islamic Travel, I wrote, "I would prefer to be falsely accused of a capital crime in America than of a minor misdemeanor in Saudi Arabia." To which one of my readers responded, "you are a stupid f***ing [I cleaned it up] pig. you really are a dumbass. muslims are the most peacefull and sincere people in the earth. whats the safest place one earth? Saudi Arabia! not the United States."
Do you know why Saudi Arabia is so safe? The ruling princes have already stolen everything of value from the average Yusef and except for raping women and goats, there are scant inducements for many other crimes. Truly now, who wants to steal a moth-eaten tent from an Arab anyway?
But let's examine my argument that I would prefer to be falsely accused of a capital crime in America than a minor misdemeanor in Saudi Arabia.
First of all, I would get a somewhat of a fair trial in the US compared to Saudi Arabia. The murder conviction rate in the US is about 69% for jury trials without plea bargains. The conviction rate in Saudi Arabia is nearly 100% and trials are held without jurors and are usually closed. They are normally held without counsel, although lawyers are permitted to advise the accused before the trial.
And even if I am convicted in the US, about two-thirds of all capital convictions get overturned anyway [Wiki].
About 1.4% of murders in the U.S. result in death sentences.
"In the last quarter of a century, almost 500,000 murders have been committed in the United States. Slightly more than 7,000 of the murderers received death sentences and fewer than 800 have been executed."
Most likely in Saudi Arabia I would "confess" to the crime way before trial. Misdemeanors in Saudi Arabia can result in punishments more severe than a violent offender would get in the states: on 4 Aug 2002, a court has sentenced a foreign woman to 15 years in jail and 5,000 lashes for running a prostitution ring in Madinah. The 5,000 lashes will be spread out over the 15 years. Until you have been given one single lash - please don't think that 5,000 is something easy to bear.
By the way, Federal courts give murderers a mean maximum sentence of 111 months [Hoover Institution]. This woman got 180 months in jail plus 5,000 lashes for a non-violent crime.
And forget about being innocent, even rape victims usually get sentenced to a few hundred lashes unless the King pardons them for the crime of getting raped [Reuters].
Only an idiot would want to stand trial in Saudi Arabia for any crime but let's examine my reader's contention that Saudi Arabia is the safest place one earth.
America, along with most developed countries, has more property crimes than poorer countries because there is more to steal. Take for example car thefts. There are more than 250,851,833 registered passenger vehicles in America with an average sticker price of $29,746. [Wiki]. In 2001 there were 1,228,391 cars stolen or 489 cars stolen for every 100,000 on the road.
On the other whip hand, in Saudi Arabia, the average age of vehicles is 6.4 years and in such poor condition that the country has an accident rate 3 times higher than most developed countries. Stealing a car in Saudi Arabia is hardly an enticing event yet despite that exactly 16,367 cars were stolen in 2001 when there were barely 3 million cars [5 million cars, buses, trucks] in the country or a rate of 545 cars stolen per 100,000. Imagine how many more would be stolen if the majority of cars were not clunkers!
So, as long as you are an ignorant, poor, destitute, male Muslim living in a tent with your wife/camel and have nothing worth taking then yes, Saudi Arabia is safer than America. On the other hand, if you are a woman living in Saudi Arabia you are certainly not safe at all.
But just because Saudi Arabia has a low crime rate still does not mean it's safe:
UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Travel advice for Saudi Arabia
There is a continuing high threat of terrorism in Saudi Arabia.
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You should take all necessary steps to protect your safety and should make sure you have confidence in your individual security arrangements. You should maintain a high level of vigilance, particularly in public places and exercise caution when travelling outside urban areas. You should also avoid any large gatherings or demonstrations.
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Terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia have taken various forms. At their height in 2003 and 2004 they included kidnapping; large-scale truck bombings of residential compounds and Saudi government offices; an attack on the US Consulate in Jeddah; targeted shootings of individuals; small-scale car bombings; parcel bombings; and bombing of shopping areas.
If you're not a foreign national, or infidel, and don't need a body guard to travel with or bullet-proof vehicles then yes, Saudi Arabia is indeed the safest place in the world. But who, aside from Saudi Princes, wants to live in Saudi Arabia?
Just FYI: In the US, for 2007, the average Murder Rate in Death Penalty States was 5.5, while the average Murder Rate in States without the Death Penalty was 3.1 [DeathPenaltyInfo]. Obviously the death penalty is no deterrence while the absence of the death penalty is no inducement to murder.
