Reply #62: Gee - Islam abuses and exploits workers just like Christiendom!

[bread_and_roses]

What a surprise, eh? I've read any number of stories on this over the years, particularly from Saudi Arabia and - I think - Dubai, but right now there are hundreds of links on abuse of domestic workers due to some recent grisly high-profile cases, so I'll just reference a Wiki article for brief summary (however, I take exception to the exculpatory phrases in the introduction):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates

Migrants, particularly migrant workers, make up a majority (approximately 80%) of the resident population of the UAE, and account for 90% of its workforce.<6> They lack rights associated with citizenship and face a variety of restrictions on their rights as workers.<7><8>

It is common practice, although illegal, for employers in the UAE to retain employees' passports for the duration of the employment contract to prevent expatriate employees from changing jobs. On termination of an employment contract, certain categories of expatriates are banned from obtaining a work permit in the country for six months.<9>

Migrants, mostly of South Asian origin, constitute for 42.5% of the UAE’s workforce<10> and are subject to a range of human rights abuses. Workers typically arrive in debt to recruitment agents from home countries and upon arrival are often made to sign a new contract in English or Arabic which pays them less than had originally been agreed.<11> Visa and travel costs are typically added on to the original debt, and thus within hours of their arrival, workers often find that their debt-repayment time has increased significantly, possibly by years.

and

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-47815720100419

Reuters) - Gulf Arab countries must end their sponsorship system for migrant workers that leaves labourers beholden to employers and exposed to potential abuse, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday.

"Some are held in prolonged detention after they escape abusive employers and may be unable to obtain access to judicial recourse and effective remedies for their plight."

The world's largest oil exporting region has attracted tens of millions of mostly blue-collar migrants from Asian countries, many of whom work in construction or as domestic maids.

Under the sponsorship systems in place in much of the Gulf, nationals or companies can hire large numbers of migrant workers who are dependent on their employers for food and shelter.

Many workers complain that agencies or employers confiscate their passports for the duration of their contracts, do not pay them regularly or deduct housing or health costs from their pay.

To paraphrase the song... "RELIGION ... What is it good for?"