http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore

55 percent of the population in Singapore is identified with Islam.
In this same country 15 percent are Christians, and 15 percent are non religious. Yes, you read that right - a country where you have a sizeable non-religious population living side by side with Muslims.

Singapore is one of the richest per capita countries in the world, currently has an unemployment rate of 2.4 %, and is very accomodating towards foreigners.

Sounds a lot like another country:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uae

The UAE is the most stable country in the Middle East, the richest per capita in the region, fairly tolerant, and with a very diverse population. Like Singapore, the tourism sector is growning by leaps and bounds, and the economy is diversifieid.

Downsides: Singapore is tiny in size, while in the UAE males outnumber females 2:1. Also, neither country is fully democratic, but rather has a hybrid system that includes some authoritarian elements alongside many Democratic ones.

I think it is important to add that they both have very harsh laws. Including corporal punishment, detention without trial, the death penalty (for some relatively minor crimes instead of murder 1), among others.

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quote:

Orbax At that point you kind of crossed the rubicon and you might as well lay siege to Rome

Very true. Both countries do receive criticism for that, but overall are highly regarded.
You mentioned the death penalty executed for relatively minor crimes. Just out of curiosity, were there any recent such executions in Singapore or the UAE?

For a Muslim-dominated country and the politics involved, I highly respect and admire Singapoure, Malaysia, BUT NOT UAE. UAE supports terrorism, for example, and has many harsher laws, but the only reason for its stability and "tolerance" is how rich it is. Democratically speaking, they are all not such, but progress is being made ... for as long as those countries remain oil rich.

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I don't know if the UAE supports terrorism but you're right that it does have some pretty harsh laws, especially towards expatraites (correct me if I'm wrong).

I also admire Bahrain for having a large and educated Middle Class, and is seen as very tolerant by Middle Eastern standards.

quote:

Originally posted by CHRles I don't know if the UAE supports terrorism but you're right that it does have some pretty harsh laws, especially towards expatraites (correct me if I'm wrong). I also admire Bahrain for having a large and educated Middle Class, and is seen as very tolerant by Middle Eastern standards.

I didnt feel like getting into details about the terrorism, but UAE is a home to prominent Chechen warlords and fighters who fled Chechnya. Some of the Arab mercenaries who fought in Chechnya on the side of Chechen resistance were from UAE (and Saudi Arabia).

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I don't think Singapore would qualify as a Muslim country. According to a quick lookup on Wikipedia only 16 percent identifies as Muslim and 55 percent for Buddhism and Taoism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Religion

Last edited by josh4 on Oct-06-2007 at 00:13

I hear what you're saying about warlords and terrorism. Since you mentioned human rights violations in the UAE though...
Human Rights Watch reports that pro-Moscow Chechen forces under the effective command of President Ramzan Kadyrov, as well as federal police personnel used torture to get information about separatist forces. "If you are detained in Chechnya, you face a real and immediate risk of torture. And there is little chance that your torturer will be held accountable.", said Holly Cartner, Director Europe and Central Asia division of HRW|[8]

Human rights groups criticized the conduct of the 2005 parliamentary elections as unfairly influenced by the central Russian government and military.[9]

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reports that after hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes after inter-ethnic and separatist conflicts in Chechnya in 1994 and 1999, more than 150,000 people still remain displaced in Russia more than a decade after the beginning of armed conflict

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechnya

quote:

Originally posted by josh4 I don't think Singapore would qualify as a Muslim country. According to a quick lookup on Wikipedia only 16 percent identifies as Muslim and 55 percent for Buddhism and Taoism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Religion

I had a feeling that data might be flawed. I'm pretty sure that earlier today wikipedia showed that Muslims were 55 percent of the population, but I guess I was wrong.