The murder of an American teacher in a shopping mall in Abu Dhabi was a tragedy for all of humanity. There is one thing that Saudi Arabia can learn from this tragedy and that is the fact that the Emirati police were able to arrest the culprit using CCTV footage. The police were able to identify the perpetrator, the perpetrator's vehicle, her murder weapon and the location of the killing because the shopping mall had CCTV cameras. Imagine how many crimes we could prevent if there were CCTV cameras in all public places in Saudi Arabia. Knowing that you are being watched is enough to intimidate potential thieves, rapists and murderers. There is no denial that thefts do happen in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is at the top of the list of countries when it comes to car thefts. Many people have their cars stolen. Then there are the fights and altercations that occur on the streets of the Kingdom. Crimes take place everywhere, in every country and in every village and street. Let us at least try to maintain some sort of safety and security by installing CCTV cameras. We should not allow one crime in the UAE to tarnish the entire country. Crimes occur in every country in the world. I was baffled by some journalists in the Gulf region who seemed to indicate that the murderer, a veiled Yemeni Emirati woman, was able to carry out her crime because of her veil. The veil is traditional attire worn by women in the Gulf region. What does the veil have to do with acts of criminality? That same woman was convicted of placing a bomb near an American doctor's house in Abu Dhabi. She is a criminal who would have committed her crime regardless of whether she was veiled or not. She is a Yemeni Emirati who wears the veil in her daily life as dictated by the customs in this part of the world. We should be ashamed for not standing up for our customs. Women in France objected when the French government banned the veil and protested against it. The Australian prime minister sees no harm in veiled women roaming the streets of Australia. That is because the Australian parliament trusts its people. Just as there are veiled murderers, there are also veiled politicians and leaders and exemplary individuals who are a credit to the societies they live in.
