A couple originally from Iraq, later domiciled in Dubai, moved to the San Diego suburb of El Cajon and brought with them their “servant” they had acquired in Dubai. The woman, identified by police as W.M., managed to smuggle out a handwritten note asking for help, which resulted in arrest of the couple on charges of “labor trafficking.” But an agent who helped bust them was not so indirect. Via the San Diego Union Tribune:
“Today’s arrests bring to light the sad reality of modern day slavery,” Dave Shaw, special agent in charge for U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, said in a statement. “… Forced labor, which often involves individuals who are held in isolation, degraded, and most alarming — stripped of their basic human freedom — has no place in a modern society.”
The couple charged, Firas Majeed and his wife, Shatha Abbas, have pleaded not guilty. The story told to police by W.M. is heartbreaking:
Modern day slavery is Islam's dirty little secret. Whether it is women trafficked from Karachi to Dubai, or Filipino workers in the Gulf States, slaves are kept.
ReplyDeleteIncreasingly, we hear of the same being practiced in the U.S. - whether a consulate employee from India, or a business couple on the east coast.
The Sultan of Brunei? He keeps a nice harem. Can't make this shit up.