A very interesting question.

Crime
There is very little crime against tourists in the middle east. In contrast to practically any city in the west you could be mugged, robbed or attacked, especially as a tourist. So for those reasons I did feel safer than I do walking down the street in Dublin at night time.

Living Standards
In the middle east there are different dangers, Yemen for example is quite a poor country so your at risk from dangerous vehicles, poor hygiene or stuff like that. I was terrified of the Drivers especially in remote Manakha where I will visit in subsequent posts. I felt unsafe for these reasons.

Terrorism and War
As long as you don't go to dangerous regions or war zones your life is probably not at risk for reasons of war or terrorism.
For example I didn't visit Marib in Yemen as there was unrest at the time which has since escalated into full scale civil war. Having said that terrorism is something that can strike at any time and anywhere. I stayed away from these places but I did have a lot of prejudice that I struggled with from time to time. I had a very interesting encounter with a man in the Airport on my way home from Yemen which I will write about in a subsequent post.

The Khanjars and Guns
Yemen is a tribal region and the everyday dress of the men is quite scary at first. That took a bit of getting used to.

In general because I was careful with where I travelled to I did not feel unsafe, I researched my tip well in advance and took advice from Embassys, travel forums and locals who I worked with. There is no substitute to up to date views from people on the ground. There is always a risk with any trip, after-all your in the unknown out of your comfort zone.