The hidden price of Religious Aid

Say "Praise God" and I'll give you a Happy Meal

You know, I was already pissed off at the attitudes that some religious people expressed. Namely that the Tsunami was God's way of letting those non-christian brown-skinned people know he was pissed off at them. But this goes above and beyond.

Dozens of religious groups have moved in to Aceh, ostensibly looking to help tsunami victims - but also to convert them.

The arrival of Western Christian groups with records of aggressive preaching risks confrontation with local Muslim leaders which could jeopardise the provision of aid to the 600,000 local people made homeless by the disaster. The death toll in Aceh stands at around 110,000 and is expected to rise.

Reacting to the attempts of one American group to fly hundreds of local children to a Christian orphanage, Din Syamsuddin, head of the Indonesian Council of Clerics, said any attempt to spread religion under the cover of aid was wrong.

"The Muslim community will not remain quiet. This a clear statement, and it is serious," he said.

Many survivors of the disaster are deeply traumatised by their experience and thus, experts say, vulnerable to religious groups. The disaster has led to a huge increase in religious sentiment.

But it's not just the Christians involved in this sickening display of prosletyzing. Radical Muslim groups started arriving in the province within days. These include the Islamic Defenders' Front, which has attacked bars and shops selling alcohol in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, and Lashkar Mujahideen, which endorses a militant ideology and has alleged links to the killing of Christians.

And you just KNOW the world is fucked up when I find myself on the same side as the gorram Scientologists. They have also established a presence in Banda Aceh but say "We are not here to proselytise. That would be distasteful." - "We hope we are just seen as another relief group."

Mark Kosinski, an American evangelist who arrived in Aceh from Malaysia last week, said: "These people need food but they also need Jesus. God is trying to awaken people and help them realise salvation is in Christ."

Oh fuck off and die, if you love Jesus so much.

And if you think I'm over-reacting, ask yourself, how would you feel if American orphans in some diaster were taken by Muslims because "they needed Allah". I think you'd be pissed off too. Just because you're convinced your religion is right, doesn't necessarily make it fucking so.

posted by Manchild at 10:30 PM