the real meaning of "camel jockeys"

be forewarned: this is a disturbing post.

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yesterday was post-tarawih hanging out with some friends. when we flipped through the TV channels (haraam! ramadan! yes, thank you), we came across an HBO sports special about the plight of camel jockeys in the UAE.



camel racing is an old time sport in the UAE, run by the wealthiest of shaykhs who spend millions of dollars financing the events. love of camels is so embedded in the culture that there are even specialized camel hospitals and spas for their upkeep. however, unlike american horse racing where jockeys are all over 16 (or 18), the ones racing these camels are young young boys.



as in about three years old.



these boys are brought in from poor countries such as india, pakistan, and bangladesh. often stolen from their parents or bought for the price of $500, these boys are taken into desolate camps. at the camps, the boys are kept undernourished for the sake of keeping them light enough to maximize the camel speed. many of these boys were less than five years old, and all weighed less than 50 pounds.



if that was not bad enough, the boys are strapped down to their camels. at times the boys slip from the strapping and are trampled under the camels feet to a gory death. "accidental" deaths such as these occur often. yet intentional torture often occurs. if the boys do not make weight, they are starved. if they are already starved and do not make weight, they are made to do difficult tasks to get any mass possible off of their body. boys are beaten liberally by trainers, often with their own camel whips. sometimes boys are tied to chains and hung so they can be beaten further. the clips also included boys burned by hot irons when they did not make food for their trainers. the boys also sleep together in groups of five or more under a small lean-to with a trainer. film clips also showed evidence of child rape by these trainers, who admonish the children to never tell, or else they will be killed.



the government of UAE issued a report in 2002 that no camel jockey shall be less than 16 years old or shall weigh less than 100 pounds. on camera, the spokesperson repeated emphatically that this was still the case, and there was no possibility, no possibility, no possibility that it could be otherwise. yet this footage was taken four months ago by inconspicuously placed cameras.



a recent state department report on human trafficking praised the UAE for being a model nation when it comes to slave trafficking, and making sincere efforts to change. what the documentary clips showed was that this was only a paper farce, and that the reality of the situation was still the same. the reproter asked the state department official whether this was not a top priority issue due to the need for UAE as an "ally against terror" in the region. the official replied that the two were not tied together, and that changes would occur.



one man, ansar burney, has been waging a fight to amend the situation. under cover of night, he takes boys from the camps and skips them out of UAE with hastily made visas back to their respective countries to try to reunite them with their parents. often, the children are too young to remember where they are from. these children are taken to an orphanage specifically for former camel jockeys, and in addition to education and health care (neither of which they receive in UAE), receive some psychological counseling to deal with the horrors inflicted upon them. ansar burney has undertaken this at the risk of great personal danger to himself - he and his wife have been threatened many times. when asked why he continues, he responded, "because when i see those children, i think of them as my children. that boy over there, is my boy..." and broke down into tears.



what else can be done? the film suggested sanctions, but then went on to say that this was a futile fix. how can you sanction a country that has everything? UAE is one of the richest countries in the world, where the streets could literally be paved with gold. as for pakistan, india, and bangladesh, many adult workers also travel to these countries, and if UAE put the pressure on them and halted all workers, those countries would be seriously affected.



what sort of pressure can be put on the UAE then? the special suggested that you have to hit them where it hurts. the UAE desires entry into the 21st century and the recognition as a forward country. only by america stressing this post and pushing for change can this atrocity be countered.



ansar burney has a fabulous website worth visiting:
www.ansarburney.org

apparently he deals with more than just camel jockeys, but a panoply of human rights issues and violations. what a man. may God bless his work and provide him the ability to continue it.



as for me, the term "camel jockey" takes on a whole new meaning. camel jockey to me before this was a derogatory word that was totally unbefitting. in addition, i never understood how a desi could be a camel jockey, and just thought this another reason to question the intelligence of those yelling the term. now it's a term that invites shame on muslim society as a whole, and questions the morality of those of us who are called it.