You Decide

Like I've said before slavery is STILL thrives in the Middle East.  Saw this on another site a few days ago and found the follow up this morning. 

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, September 18, 2006

WASHINGTON - U.S. relations with the United Arab Emirates could face another challenge amid a suit that charged the Gulf state's vice president with enslaving tens of thousands of children.
UAE Vice President Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been accused of enslaving about 30,000 children, some of them as young as two, since 1975.

The suit filed in U.S. district court in Miami charged that Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai, and his brother, Hamdan, ordered the stealing of the children to raise them as camel jockeys, Middle East Newsline reported.

"Boys as young as two years old have been stolen from their families, trafficked across international borders, and kept in brutal camel-racing camps throughout the United Arab Emirates, forced to train camels and perform as jockeys," the suit said.

The 56-page suit, filed on Sept. 13, could test the U.S. commitment to end human trafficking. The UAE, a leading defense client of the United States, has been cited as a major violator of human trafficking.
The Al Maktoums have property in Florida, including a horse ranch. The Dubai crown prince has not responded to the suit.

The six plaintiffs in the case have not been identified, but were said to be parents of children stolen by the UAE leaders. The suit said agents for Al Maktoum took young boys from such countries as Bangladesh and Sudan and transferred them to Dubai where they were forced to train camels and perform as jockeys.

The suit does not ask for specific compensation for the victims. Instead, the plaintiffs called for a jury to determine the damages.

"We hope to punish the perpetrators of these vile crimes and compensate the victims for their pain and suffering," Ron Motley, an attorney with the South Carolina-based law firm Motley Rice LLC, said. "

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/06/front2453996.452777778.html

"Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum
"A lawsuit has been filed and is seeking class action status against several rulers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for allegedly enslaving tens of thousands of boys over the past three decades. The boys were allegedly forced to work as jockeys in the popular sport of camel racing. The lawsuit alleges Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, the deputy ruler, were the most active perpetrators. The lawsuit claimed the boys were taken largely from Bangladesh and Pakistan, were held at desert camps in the UAE and other Persian Gulf nations, and forced to work. It also claimed some boys were sexually abused, given limited food and sleep and injected with hormones to prevent their growth.

Register your Camel Racing Complaint
If you or a loved one has suffered damages in this case, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a possible class action or lawsuit. Please click the link below to submit your complaint to a lawyer for a free evaluation, or call 1-866-886-5529 toll free."
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/camel_racing_slave.html?ref=newsletter_bca_camel_racing_slave