Yes, I would definitely be afraid!
By the number of visited countries indicated in my credential, I’m extremely adventurous. I’ve toured dangerous parts of Pakistan, Egypt, Russia, Brazil, and India. I’ve also dreamed of visiting Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Royal Clock Tower.
But Saudi Arabia’s ranking among the world’s 40 most dangerous countries from 2016 to 2021 doesn’t inspire much confidence, nor does their current ranking at 45th. When it was revealed back in 2001 that 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudis, whether it’s fair or not, it initiated a stereotype among people around the world. The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 certainly made even the most adventurous of us a bit more nervous about visiting the kingdom. Persistent terrorist attacks every year from 2013 to 2018 haven’t helped their reputation either.
Most concerning to westerners are the mass executions of people whose only crime could be expressing their opinion on social media. It’s something that billions of people in the free world do every single day. The same goes with executions for adultery, blasphemy, burglary, drug use, and homosexuality. The 81-person mass execution on March 12, 2022, over what most countries consider minor offenses or unlawful events was pretty shocking.
While Saudi Arabia plays fast and loose with executions, instead of executing terrorist Talal bin Samran Al-Saedi, they put him in a rehabilitation program and later released him, only for him to return to terrorism. I would love to visit Saudi Arabia someday and enjoy their food, culture, and architecture. But what if I’m falsely accused of blasphemy or using Twitter or whatever else they want to pin on me, and my vacation turns into the end of my life? It’s just as frightening as visiting North Korea.
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