Migration to Saudi Arabia: Social and Religious Aspects (2011-2017)
Today, migration is an integral part of every advanced society; moreover, it has become an attribute of the entire world. Migration flows are moving from the communities with a low standard of living to wealthy countries. According to the UN, there were about 60 million displaced persons (about 0.8 % of the total population) in 2015. We consider only refugees, while the total number of migrants in this period was estimated at 243.7 million people or 2.4 % of the global population. Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf hold a prominent place in the global migration distribution. Their status in this respect is unique due the specific interpretation of human rights, orientation to the sharia law and the lack of legislation on the refugee status. However, the Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf as well as Europe, the USA and Russia encounter the problem of legal and illegal migration and have to deal withit on an ad hoc basis. The year 2017 is a turning point for the region, since projects to deport millions of migrants are worked out in Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries. At the same time, Arab monarchies insist that they protect the interests of refugees. The author considers the existing practices and types of migration to Saudi Arabia and evaluates potential solutions to the problems of migration and the risks associated with it. A separate topic of the article is the religious aspect of migration and the attitude of Saudi authorities to prospective migrants from Arab states.