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Dubai Ruler Sued in U.S. over Enslaving Small Boys

September 14, 2006 3:36 PM

Camel3_nrThe ruler of Dubai came to Kentucky to buy race horses but ended up being served with a lawsuit alleging he enslaved thousands of small boys as camel jockeys.

Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum was served Monday with the court papers while attending a horse show in Lexington, Ky., where he spent an estimated $30 million on thoroughbred yearlings.

The lawsuit, brought as a class action, alleged Sheikh Mohammed and his brother were part of a conspiracy "to buy boys in the slave trade, hold them in bondage in brutal camps in the desert" as part of a flourishing camel racing sport among Arab sheikhs.

The lawsuit calls it "one of the greatest humanitarian crimes of the last 50 years," involving thousands of boys as young as four who were prized because they weighed less than 44 pounds.   

The Sheikh's personal 747 aircraft was seen parked this morning at the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, Ky.  There was no immediate comment from the Sheikh or from a spokesman at the United Arab Emirates embassy in Washington, D.C.

The United States State Department in a report on human trafficking last year cited the practice of using young boys as camel jockeys.

"Children trafficked to the Gulf states in the Middle East are forced to race camels of the entertainment elite. These children were training under the shadow of Dubai's skyline in early 2005," the State Department report said.

The State Department report, while not specifically naming the Sheikh, says the trafficking of young boys as camel jockeys "has burgeoned in the Gulf states, which, with the discovery of oil and the associated surge in wealth, transformed camel racing from a traditional Bedouin sports pastime to a multi-million dollar activity."

The report says the government of the United Arab Emirates, "has failed to take significant action to address its trafficking problems and to protect victims." 

Read an excerpt of the lawsuit against Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum.

September 14, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (62)

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No wonder Michael Jackson moved there!

Posted by: dude | Sep 14, 2006 4:20:33 PM

I wonder if this guy is related to or the same one that's been offering Michael Jackson asylum in Dubai. Obviously children mean very little to these men.

Posted by: Annette Hunt | Sep 14, 2006 4:26:22 PM

So when will Bush have the "justice" depart shelve this suit for National Security?

Posted by: lilybart | Sep 14, 2006 4:38:04 PM

The State Dept. knew about this last year and only a few months back Bush wanted to pay the Dubai government to gaurd our ports? What is the man thinking????

Posted by: Outraged | Sep 14, 2006 4:42:14 PM

Sickening.....Maybe we should send him home on the short runway!!

Posted by: private | Sep 14, 2006 5:06:21 PM

Bush is an idiot. However, it is curious how every bad thing that happens anywhere in the world somehow always comes back to GW.

The guy does enough dumb things, do we always need to include him with other people's bad decisions as well? When we do, it makes people actually feel sorry for this guy and support him more.

Posted by: Mark | Sep 14, 2006 5:16:59 PM

america says he enslaved the boys what did america do to the dark skinned people before makes u think.........

Posted by: dumb | Sep 14, 2006 5:32:05 PM

How are these boys being abused? May be they have fun being camel jockeys...kinda sounds like fun to me.

Posted by: Michele | Sep 14, 2006 5:45:19 PM

" dude's " comment ( posted above ) that " obviously children mean very little to these men " is incorrect. Sadly,children are very important to these men.

Posted by: Marshall | Sep 14, 2006 5:49:04 PM

Excessive wealth poisons the minds of the super rich...as we are about to find out as the "New World Order" prepares to enslave citizans of the United States, and the rest of the world. If you think enslaving young boys to ride camels is bad...just wait. That day will be here soon, as Bush and his "Skull and Bones" croneys continue their plot to take over the world.

Posted by: Shawman | Sep 14, 2006 6:01:50 PM

Yeah, camel riding and whatever else they decided to do to these young boys. Fed adequately? Housed adequately. Sexually abused? Kidnapped? And of course the list goes on. I'd rather tackle that one than the war in Iraq.

Posted by: Cheryl J. | Sep 14, 2006 6:43:59 PM

This lawsuit is like threaten a lion with a slingshot. They should arrest this guy and let Bubba play with him for a few nights, just to see if he likes the lifestyle he gives to this children.

Posted by: Luke Brown | Sep 14, 2006 6:45:31 PM

Only a bunch of libs could possibly politicize this issue and make it Bush's fault. And how do you possibly tie the guarding of our port terminals (not the ports themselves - we cover that)to a slave trade in Dubai. If you believe this practice just started during the Bush administration, it shows just how hate-filled the left has become. If you read the article, you would notice that the lawsuit called this "one of the greatest humanitarian crimes of the last 50 years". Why didn't your beloved Clinton put an end to this practice when he was in office? Oh,I forgot, he was much to busy fondling a young intern in the Oval office to pay attention.

Posted by: Mike | Sep 14, 2006 6:51:25 PM

What will a law suit do to a despot that lives in a Kingdom? Absolutely nothing.

And Bush being the air head that he is wondered why we did not want these people running our ports? Is this good for a start?

Posted by: dennis | Sep 14, 2006 7:15:18 PM

I think Jacko is in Bahrain, not Dubai.

Posted by: kaviraj | Sep 14, 2006 7:45:13 PM

Man, Marshall no love for GW here but I REALLY think you are super paranoid. Think about getting some help.

Oh and BTW why was this man allowed into the US? Send him back to his country.

Posted by: Bill | Sep 14, 2006 8:47:23 PM

In response to poster "dumb" above.
You can't actually be defending enslaving children in the 21st century.

The US did have a slave society. Millions of americans protested that then. That was 150 years ago.

And of course: hundreds of thousands of American's also died in bloody fighting to end it, in the US civil war.


You go back into history and every civilization has done any and every imaginable cruel and vile act. The question is what is the future going to be?

Posted by: Trip | Sep 14, 2006 8:56:11 PM

You mean the same UAE who still owns the ports? You recall the false posturing by the Congress and media earlier this year lying to the American people that that was stopped. Well guess again America, THEY STILL OWN THOSE PORT OPERATIONS!!!!!!!!!

The follow up of the Congrss and media.......cue criketts.

Posted by: Heterodoxy | Sep 14, 2006 9:01:08 PM

I was stationed in U.A.E. in 1993-1995. This was happening at this time. They literally buy these boys and not only the camel jockeys, they buy young women from the Philippines to serve as slaves also. All of the department and grocery stores had these young women as their customer service personnel. Upon having a conversation with one of the women, i was also informed of sexual abuse to them as well. I realize that there are bigger fish to fry in the world; however, women and children being enslaved in this day and age is a disgrace. Way to run that office Bush.

Posted by: Susan | Sep 14, 2006 9:24:25 PM

Could you imagine being forced to sit atop an animal three times your height running at full speed? Staying on would literally mean life or death. I have no doubt the children are seriously injured, crippled, or killed in this "sport".

Posted by: Todder | Sep 14, 2006 9:26:37 PM

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