Saudis confront soaring crime

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JIDDA, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's deeply conservative Islamic society is coming to terms with a crime wave ushered in by a population boom, rapid social change, increased unemployment and a reduction in oil revenue.

A report this year by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency said crime among young jobless Saudis rose 320 percent from 1990 to 1996 and is expected to increase by an additional 136 percent by 2005.

Although official crime and unemployment statistics are not available, the number of jobless Saudis is estimated to be as high as 35 percent, and the al-Riyadh daily newspaper has reported that in 1999, courts dealt with 616 murder cases.

The highest number of murders was in Mecca, Islam's holiest city.

"People here are totally confused. They don't understand how crime can keep rising in this Muslim society," the newspaper said in a two-page special on crime.

The kingdom, known for being virtually crime-free, still applies a strict form of Shariah law, which includes public beheading for murder, drug trafficking, rape and adultery -- and thieves sometimes having their hands amputated.

An estimated 48 persons were beheaded last year, and more than 50 have been beheaded this year.

However, there is an increasing recognition that the death penalty is not working as a deterrent. And a wider debate in the Saudi media about the social causes of crime has been given impetus by what commentators agree is a crime wave, especially in the major urban centers.