Crimes punishable by death in Saudi Arabia include murder, serious offenses against the Islamic religion, adultery, dress codes and, since 1987, drug trafficking. Under Saudi law, serious crimes carry serious consequences. Repeated theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand, administered under anesthesia. Since most meals in Saudi Arabia are eaten by hand from a communal bowl and only the right hand can touch the food, this punishment effectively banishes the convicted thief from society. The severity of this sanction has led to a slight relaxation of the law in recent years; now, if the thief repents and makes restitution before the case goes before a judge, the sentence can be reduced... in addition, the victim of the crime can demand payment rather than amputation of the hand right of the thief, and in some cases, the victim it is even allowed to forgive the criminal. In a typical year, at least ten hand amputations are carried out for repeated thefts in Saudi Arabia. (Goodwin, 1943) Today in the United States, crimes such as theft are punishable by prison time if they involve more than one act of theft. Although the punishment for fornication is the same as for adultery: death. In both cases, these are acts of sexual dishonor which undermine the honor of the woman's family. In the case of adultery, the female family is much more damaged than her husband because it is her male relatives and not her husband who are responsible for her behavior and dishonor. It is therefore their duty to punish the adulterous woman. (Mackey, 2002) In the United States, adultery is considered a crime under our spiritual law but as with government law, the act of adultery is only grounds for divorce. In 1987, based on a new rule... ... middle of paper ......frozen by religious values: conservative dress, conservative literature and conservative behavior. Freedom of political and religious expression is not allowed and entertainment activities such as dancing or cinema are almost non-existent in Saudi Arabia. As has been the case for centuries, the cultural and political life of Saudi Arabia continues to be expressed in terms of Islamic principles. Works Cited Aburish, SK (1994). The House of Saud. new y.Goodwin, W. (1943). Saudi Arabia. San Diego: Lucent Books. Mackey, S. (2002). The Saudis. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. Massari, M. (1996). Blurring the rules on asylum. Economist .Morgan, M. (2004). Black eye for freedom. Christianity today. Rosenthal, A.M. (1997). The City and the Kingdom. New York Times. Wurmbrand, R. (1998). Tortured for Christ. Bartlesville: Living Sacrifice Book Co..