Mideast allies on U.S. blacklist

Unfortunately, this is not hyperbole, it’s all too true.

The Bush administration yesterday added seven nations, including several key U.S. allies in the Middle East, to its human-trafficking blacklist for failing to halt what it called the scourge of “modern-day slavery….”

Along with such luminaries of the world as the NorKs, Cuba, and Venezuela, most of the list is Islamic.

“By thier fruits, ye shall know them.

Countries with Tier 3, the lowest of three rankings, “do not fully comply with the minimum standards [to fight trafficking] and are not making significant efforts to do so,” which makes them eligible for U.S. economic sanctions.

Most of this year’s additions to Tier 3 are Muslim or predominantly Muslim nations, many of which have the means to enforce foreign workers’ rights and anti-trafficking laws. The complete list of Tier 3 countries in this year’s report is: Algeria, Bahrain, Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.