Iqbal

The story Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo tells the incredibly sad story of Iqbal Masih, a young boy who was carried away from his parents at age four to work in a carpet factory just outside of Lahore, Pakistan.  Iqbal was a bonded laborer, meaning that he was forced into slavery to repay a debt accumulated by his mother and father.  Bonded labor is the most common form of modern day slavery, and most of the time the debts are never repaid.  Such was the case of Iqbal, who worked fourteen hours a day and was completely ignored by the police, who after accepting a hefty bribe from the carpet master, Hussein Khan, became completely indifferent about the slave children.  Iqbal continued to work without pay or rest, with almost no hope of freedom for him and his fellow "loaned" children.
At age ten, Iqbal escaped from the carpet factory. He returned with two policemen, but they gladly excepted a small few and were off.  He was forced to spend a week under the slave masters house, in a room known by the slaves as, "The Dungeon."  Iqbal almost died of heat stroke, but his chance came again when he escaped a second time, this time falling into the hands of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) and meeting Eshan Khan.  After arresting the carpet master, Iqbal became an icon for the freedom of slaves, he spoke at rallies, conferences, and even went on missions to rescue slaves himself.  On Easter Sunday, 1995, Iqbal was riding his bicycle through his village,when he was shot and killed by a man in a passing car.  He died on the side of the road, slain by the carpet mafia.

I read the story Iqbal three times.  Each time I felt the same: very sad, and very enlightened.  Iqbal is a very revealing story, described through the eyes of twelve-year-old Fatima, who paints a vivid picture of the hardships undergone by the slave children in Pakistan and all around the world.  In class we have studied modern day slavery, but i believe to really understand something experience is necessary.  Fatima delivers her horrible experience in the carpet factory and we can relate it to all those who are stuck in bondage today, and it can help us relieve them of their burdens. 

Thank you, Iqbal.

Works Cited

D'Adamo, Francesco, and Ann Leonori. Iqbal. New York: Atheneum for Young Readers, 2003. Print.

Iqbal Book Cover. Digital image. Http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/child-labor-iqbal-masihs-courage/>.

"Iqbal Masih." Web log post. Moral Heroes RSS. N.p., 8 May 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://moralheroes.org/iqbal-masih>