Punishment System No Longer a Deterrent

Apparently not, if crime is up 14 percent. What's that about? There were 78,737 crimes "recorded" last year in the Sandbox, an increase of 8,335 from the previous year. "The crimes, including aggressions against people and drug abuse, have increased by 14 percent over the same period in the year 2007... there were 21,395 drug and alcohol related crimes." There were 27,888 crimes of rape or xesual harassment. That seems like a lot. What is the population of this entire country? In 2008 there were 28,686,633 people in Saudi Arabia of which 5,576,076 were "non-nationals." And why haven't the statistics been broken down as to which nationality is committing the majority of the crimes? Seems to be an awfully important fact when the crimes are reported. How many of those crimes were committed by ex-pats versus locals? A report ranks Jeddah as the top city for drug and alcohol crimes. "Most of the distilleries discovered in Jeddah were run by expatriates who were residing illegally... They wanted to make quick money before going back home." Okay. Sure. The report also says that "there were 143 suicide attempts." So, that doesn't count the number of successful suicides, then? How many of those were there? The area where I live, the Eastern Province, topped the "other regions with 49 suicide attempts." Interesting.

Yet another sad story about a young woman [she is 20-years-old] having to pay off her much older husband [he is forty - 40! - years her senior - so he is 60-something!] to get a divorce. SR10,000 [$2,680.96]. Poor thing. I do actually have some sympathy for these women - they are married off at a very young age - to men which their families choose for them instead of men they choose on their own. How awful that must be. Because it is such an integral part of the culture, it is unlikely that there will be any change in the custom until women start banding together and demanding that they have a few rights and that they don't have to marry some pedophile that is four decades older than them. On the other hand, my sympathy is limited. This is the life you choose.

Are we going to read that two Saudi joyriders have had their hands cut off for stealing cars? [Arab News actually published their nationality! They must be trying hard to keep up with Saudi Gazette.] Or is the punishment of severing someone's hand reserved solely for ex-pats? Remember the Yemeni man who was sentenced to have his hand cut off for stealing? [We never learn what it was he allegedly took - only that he was accused of "theft."] These two hooligans have admitted to stealing six cars and using them to commit robbery. What is their punishment going to be?

Lots of PCRC, today. Here - a young man "fell under the wheels of his friend's moving car." Here a family of four was killed when their car overturned [no mention of whether or not the man was driving too fast while he was smoking a cigarette in one hand and talking on his mobile with the other - and it is also highly unlikely that his two children were seat-belted or in safety seats] on the same road where a family of ten was killed, along with their housemaid, earlier this week - fifteen total. And, here, where a "qat smuggler was killed when his car, with the police in hot pursuit, overturned." [With no mention of the "qat smuggler's" nationality we know he was a Saudi.]

Another disposable worker. Dead. He, supposedly, hung himself from a ceiling fan in his room. No matter. There are plenty more disposable workers available where he came from [Asia].

Authorities have "foiled an attempt to smuggle 20 children into the Kingdom" from Yemen and have "arrested five smugglers." The children were going to be used "for begging during the month of Ramadan" [which starts in nine days - September 22nd]. What do the parents of these children in Yemen think about this? Are they complicit? Do they actually give their children up willingly? Do they sell their children? If they are selling their children - and we all know it happens - what is the point of having children in the first place? Just for profit? That is just so wrong. [See below.]

There will be a forum held in October "for family production." For a country that is ranked at number 52 out of 224 is a forum really necessary? Isn't everyone managing to do their part in producing? How many children does each family have to have? How many children can these families afford to support? If the men, as head of the household, cannot find work how is it that they will be able to support their families? I know, ranking number 52 behind Yemen, that comes in at number 12, is a slap in the face. But look at what all those Yemeni's are doing? I wouldn't call it productive. But then...