The value of human life in Saudi

Carol over at American Bedu has an interesting post this morning that asks – and in some small way answers – the questions of how much a life is worth.

The answer – at least here in Saudi – might shock you – it sure shocked (and angered and disgusted and a whole list of other similar reactions) me!

But before I get to that, let me share with you some other perspectives on the value of life.

For example, when an American soldier is killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, his or her surviving family receives a $500,000 death benefit from the US government.

Health insurance groups – both in the States and around the world – value a human life at around $50,000 a year. With the average American life expectancy at just over 78 years, that works out to about 3.9 million USD.

In California, Stanford University economists have calculated the value of human life is a little higher – about $129,000 per year or a tad over 10 million USD over a lifetime.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has set a value of $5 million for a human life – or more specifically a typical American life, while the Environmental Protection Agency is a little more optimistic, valuing a human life at about 7.2 million.

Which gets me back to Saudi Arabia where, according to American Bedu, the price for a human life is a little bit lower.

Ok, a lot lower.

Saudi Arabia – and the rest of the Muslim world apparently – has devised a system of “blood money” – basically how much someone has to pay if they take another person’s life.

According to American Bedu:

There is no specific amount for Diyyat and the fine does not differ based on the gender, victim, or state of freedom of the victim. However, the Qur’an leaves open its quantity, nature and other related affairs to the customs and traditions of a society. The Qur’an directs to pay Diyyat according to this law both in case of intentional as well as unintentional murder.

But, of course, that hasn’t stopped Saudi from setting up it’s own value scale for a human life.

Under that system…

The life of a Muslim man is worth $26,222 USD, while the life of a Muslim woman comes in at just under 13 grand – a 50% discount based solely on gender.

The life of a Christian man is worth as much as the life of a Muslim woman, some $13,333 USD. And again, the life of a Christian woman is about half of that of a Christian man, or $6,666 USD.

And here’s where things get tricky – and telling.

In Saudi Arabia, the life of a Hindu man is worth just $1,777 USD.

The life of a Hindu woman, on the other hand, is worth only half that, or about $888 USD.

Let me recap.

In Saudi Arabia, the life of a Muslim man is about equal to the cost of my Hummer H3 while the life of a Christian man is worth about the same as a second-hand Chevy. For the life of a Hindu man, however, you couldn’t even buy a good moped.

In Saudi Arabia, the life of a Muslim woman is about equal to the cost of a hand-tied Iranian rug, while the life of a Christian woman like myself might cover the cost of the designer watch so many of the locals here adore. For the life of a Hindu woman, however, you couldn’t buy a month’s worth of groceries for a family of four.

So, tell me again that all lives are precious and have value in Saudi Arabia?

Oh, and did I mention that a well-bred camel can go for several hundred thousand US dollars at auction?

Go figure!