This post has been updated
Shouldn’t we call this kidnapping?
A Virginia-based missionary group said this week that it has airlifted 300 "tsunami orphans" from the Muslim province of Banda Aceh to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, where it plans to raise them in a Christian children's home.
The missionary group, WorldHelp, is one of dozens of Christian, Muslim and Jewish charities providing humanitarian relief to victims of the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami that devastated countries around the Indian Ocean, taking more than 150,000 lives…
"Normally, Banda Aceh is closed to foreigners and closed to the gospel. But, because of this catastrophe, our partners there are earning the right to be heard and providing entrance for the gospel," WorldHelp said in an appeal for funds on its Web site this week….
(The Rev. Vernon) Brewer said the Indonesian government gave permission for the orphans to be flown to Jakarta last week and was aware that they would be raised as Christians.
"We have no knowledge of this," Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said today in Jakarta. "If confirmed, this would constitute a serious violation of the standing ban by the Indonesian government on the adoption of Acehnese children affected by the tsunami disaster and appropriate steps would be taken accordingly." He added that he did not believe any Indonesian official would have approved the transfer of the children.
This is a serious betrayal of the trust given to American aid groups by people in Southeast Asia. The US government should intervene. If the Indonesian government did not give permission for this – and I’m sure they didn’t – I hope their government brings charges against Brewer and his aid group.
Imagine this: America is devastated by a natural disaster and Muslims from across the globe rush to our aid. But in the process they find Christian orphans and whisk them off somewhere to be brought up Muslim. How would Christians in America react?
Related post: FaithfulAmerica: Rescue or Revival?
Update: "The Virginia-based missionary group WorldHelp has dropped its plans to place 300 Muslim "tsunami orphans" in a Christian children's home, the group's president, the Rev. Vernon Brewer, told news agencies yesterday," reports The Washington Post. Full story.
