The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is synonymous with obscene wealth. The Arab sovereign state is lucky enough to be sitting on large reserves of both oil and natural gas.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy ruled by the House of Saud, under an extremist Wahhabi ideology, making it essentially a hereditary Islamic dictatorship. The ruling elites are financed by the oil and gas trade and use the fundamentalist, puritanical Wahhabism to oppress the rest of the population with no regard for human rights.

If that wasn’t enough, the ideology they support and actively try to export to neighbouring countries is shared by some of the world’s most dangerous terrorist groups (which plenty of its citizens are more than happy to finance).

They do so with the complete support of the United States, the United Kingdom and France (among many others) who are perfectly happy to do nothing about the propagation of the doctrine of oppression, fundamentalism and death the House of Saud sponsors. Don’t worry, they always get paid in some dodgy arms deals or concessions to explore their oil fields.

Last month we saw the POTUS literally dancing with the people who financed 9/11. Now we’ll examine the reasons that make Saudi Arabia one of the world’s most corrupt countries.

15. Natural resources

With the second largest oil stocks and sixth largest natural gas reserves on the planet, Saudi Arabia is phenomenally rich in natural resources. As often is the case in countries with a similar wealth, these resources are used to enrich the country’s elite at the expense of everyone else.

In Saudi Arabia, it’s business as usual. Since petroleum was first discovered in the Kingdom in 1938, a succession of similar discoveries followed. In an arid landscape, the country’s economy soon became highly specialized in the exploration, extraction, and commercialization of natural resources.

The Kingdom’s rigid social hierarchy meant only those close to the royal family were able to benefit from this wealth.

14. Culture of oppression

Since they live in an absolute monarchy, Saudi Arabian citizens who don’t have ties to the royal family are royally screwed. For example, the powerful elites who become obscenely richer every day by exploring the country’s natural resources can be drunk by 11 AM every day while the country is supposedly alcohol-free. If you’re a regular citizen and you’re caught drinking, get ready to spend a “season” in prison while you await trial.

The criminal code is largely ignored but the rule is always to favour the friends of the crown. Hypocrisy such as this permeates Saudi Arabian society where the line between the elite and the rest is painfully clear. The regime of impunity and favouring of the royal family and their friends set the tone for how the entire society behaves.

13. Savage and humiliating punishments

Saudi Arabia’s justice system continues to carry out sentences which the developed world has abandoned for over a century, such as flogging, stoning and amputations as punishment for several offences, often following unfair trials. The country’s main source of legal expertise is the Quran, which was written from memory by some of Muhammad’s friends shortly after his death, 1385 years ago.

Bearing in mind the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded on an ultra-conservative ideology of extremist Islamic fundamentalism where the judges have room to interpret the Quran as they please, this isn’t the sort of place where you want to be caught taking bribes. Just kidding, if you’re in a position to take bribes it means the government placed you there. You will get away with anything. In fact, bribes are encouraged.

12. Common executions

Saudi Arabia is among the world’s top executioners, with dozens of people being put to death annually, many in public beheadings. Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries in the world still administering capital punishment, choosing to do so with beheadings and crucifixions.

In addition to rape, murder and armed robbery, you run the risk of suffering this punishment for the following “crimes”: repeated drug use, apostasy, adultery, homosexuality, witchcraft or sorcery. Just in case you’re wondering, the last execution for the crime of sorcery took place in September 2014.

(Note to self: Pitch Harry Potter and the Saudi Royal Family to J.K. Rowling.)

11. Activism is repressed

Saudi Arabia’s regime has systematically crushed all hopes for a democratic government in the country. The more outspoken activists are constantly muzzled, simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. These are some of the most basic human rights the Saudi regime cynically violates.

The authorities have used anti-terrorism laws to suppress the peaceful actions of small groups who aimed to expose and address human rights violations by the ruling regime. If there’s a hint of change around the corner, Saudi Arabia’s dictatorial regime will crush it in a heartbeat. How can corruption be eliminated when its main advocate is the country’s royal family?

10. Any form of dissent lands people in prison

In the wake of the Arab Spring which swept countries in the North of Africa and the Middle East in 2011, all public gatherings, and demonstrations have been prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry. Those who dare to defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on bogus claims such as “breaking allegiance to and disobeying the ruler” or “inciting public opinion against the authorities”

11 members of one of the country’s few independent human rights organizations have been jailed or are on trial facing imprisonment for speaking up against human rights abuse. They have been interrogated without lawyers present, often being held for months without a chance to speak to their families or representatives. But that’s not the worst part…

9. Routine torture while in custody

When a country’s very ideology and morals are designed to favour the elite, oppress half the population and silence the other in the process, torture is bound to happen. Vast swathes of former detainees and trial defendants have reported the use of torture by authorities as part of their questioning techniques. These are often social activists but torture is applied by Saudi authorities with little regard for the severity of the crime.

When you consider Saudi Arabia’s retrograde justice system recommends beheadings and crucifixions for those engaged in sorcery and witchcraft, torture might seem like one of their more sensible policies, if not for the fact it violates the very essence of humanity.

8. Criminal code is not enforced

As was the case with absolute monarchies a few centuries ago, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s criminal code is very rarely applied. Judges apply their legal considerations basing themselves on texts from an ancient Hanbali school of jurisprudence, known for its literal interpretation of the Quran.

Despite the fact Saudi Arabia’s criminal code explicitly forbids it, people are often arrested and detained in pretrial detention for six months or more. They are held without being able to contact or speak to their lawyers. With several reports of arbitrary arrests, this mechanism is used to eliminate and silence any enemies of the regime.

Within this legal “framework”, the elites get away with anything and corruption runs rampant.

7. Gender discrimination is taken to the next level

In Saudi Arabia, a woman’s testimony is only worth half of a man’s. Women aren’t allowed to drive and can only travel, study or work with the permission of their male guardian (a recent development). Only in 2015 were women allowed to vote for the first time in local elections (with their guardian’s permission).

When the female half of the Saudi population is considered by the law to be inferior to the male half, it shows us just how perverted and regressive the country really is. Ironically, this is one aspect of the criminal code that does get enforced by the country’s religious police.

By oppressing the female half of the country’s population and keeping the other half silenced, Saudi elites actively block the rest of the population to ensure they do not get replaced by more capable people.

6. Religious discrimination is the social norm

Islam is a highly nuanced religion which is often simplified by the Sunni-Shi’a division. Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabism ideology is an ultra conservative movement within Sunni Islam. Iran is an example of a country which follows the Shi’a interpretation of Islam.

Members of Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a minority, predominantly live in the country’s oil-rich Eastern Province and continue to face an established discrimination limiting their access to government services and employment. Shi’a proponents have received death sentences and long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests during the Arab spring. Other religions are forbidden.

5. Catastrophic human trafficking situation

Saudi Arabia’s human trafficking industry is a modern-day manifestation of slavery. Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are brought into the country, kept under inhuman conditions and reports of malnutrition, sexual abuse and physical violence are plentiful.

A lot of these workers are brought on for underpaid labour in the Saudi construction industry. These come mostly from Pakistan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya. The international community is unanimous in its assessment of the situation: Saudi Arabia does not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking and is not making any efforts to do so.

4. Lack of transparency

The Saudi regime is notorious for its obscene wealth, rampant corruption and total lack of transparency. Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations, presumably because they don’t want the world to know how the country operates.

There have also been plenty of reports of punitive action against activists and family members of the people who contact these organisations. In this setting, corruption will hardly be an issue of concern for those who govern the country alongside the royal family. International organisations are kept at bay, as the Saudi elites go about their shady business.

3. No equality of opportunities

As you may have figured out by this point, equality of opportunities is virtually impossible in our society. Having said that, at least we try to achieve it despite falling short. In Saudi Arabia however, equality will be as alien to them as the capital punishment for homosexuality is to us.

With the ultra-conservative Wahhabism advocating the oppression of women, the Saudi elites pervert Islam to ensure any voices for change are silenced, thereby perpetuating their dominance. As the oil money ensures they remain wealthy enough to maintain their power, only an event of cataclysmic proportions will ensure a change in regime.

2. Links to terrorist organizations

By now the involvement of Saudi officials and some members of the royal family with the Al Qaeda members who carried out 9/11 has transcended myth to become a well-known fact of the terrorist attack that stopped the world. Several intelligence reports have pointed to similar levels of association with the 7/7 bombings in the United Kingdom.

When you consider Bin Laden was a student and defender of the same ideology as the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the latter’s support and funding of terrorist organisations like ISIS, Hamas and Al Qaeda won’t come as a surprise. These findings were all uncovered in recent WikiLeaks revelations, in addition to Zacharias Moussaoui’s testimony under oath. The 9/11 hijacker’s testified to his knowledge of Saudi princes being directly responsible for supporting the attacks.

1. Culture of intolerance

When we know about the ties of members of Saudi Arabia’s royal family and its government officials with terrorist organisations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda and combine that knowledge with the fact they share an extremist ultra-conservative ideology, their culture of intolerance becomes incredibly apparent.

With all the despicable acts ISIS is carrying out in Syria and Iraq with the Saudis funding, we must demand Saudi Arabia is treated as the enemy that it is. Instead of taking their money, we need to be isolated from this intolerant ideology that oppresses its population.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali once said, “Tolerance of intolerance is cowardice”. Let’s hope Western leaders remember this instead of accepting the Saudi’s money to look the other way.

Sources: theguardian.com, business-anti-corruption.com, equaltime.org