Is there any data on individual productivity and crime in Islamic countries?

Submitted by PPS (United States), Apr 12, 2010 at 23:55

Dear Dr Pipes:

Most of the non-Islamic world has moved beyond religious dogma -- while we value our spirituality, we do not carry it on our sleeves. On the contrary, the Islamic world is still tied to principles which will appear unfair and unjust to non-muslims: 1) separate and unequal treatment of genders 2) separate and unequal treatment of minorities 3) lack of freedom of speech 4) lack of freedom of free enterprise 5) lack of emphasis on scientific and creative education 6) lack of tolerance about minor religious issues (such as who should be the true successor of a prophet) 7) over-emphasis on dogmatic instead of humble prayer (such as praying on loudspeakers at odd hours). ... The list can go on and on.

With so many things that appear counterproductive to us, the industrial productivity should be low in the Islamic world and crime high. I was wondering if you or some of your readers can cite statistics indicating that, all other things being equa,l Islamic societies/countries have more crime, more poverty, and less productivity. I know conclusive statistics are hard to find but it will be worth investigating.

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