There’s a huge, 1,947-word page A1 story in the Washington Post today that I urge you all to read, all the way through. Reporter Jacqueline L. Salmon follows Rizwan Mowlana–local director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Md./Va. and head of a newly-created charity called “Asia Relief“–to Sri Lanka as he sets out to distribute aid and supplies to tsunami victims. The story is a glowing portrait of a crusading humanitarian on a difficult mission to save his native land.

Mowlana raised a ton of money and raked in mounds of clothing and other donations from compassionate Americans in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. He hit a media bonanza with appearances or mentions on every major cable news network as well as ABC News’ World News Tonight; an interview on Voice of America; and numerous mentions in the Post (here, here, here , and here) and USA Today. After Mowlana appeared on FOX News, a Modesto, Calif., businessman stepped forward to donate $1 million worth of medical supplies.

Mowlana claims to have lost an incredible number of relatives in the tsunami:

He told the Associated Press it was “about 30” members.

He told VOA it was “at least 30.”

He told CNN it was “more than 30.”

He told the Washington Post it was “at least 40.”

He told the Montgomery Gazette and WTOP News it was “more than 40.”

He has told various media how one of his relatives, traveling in a van on his way with Mowlana’s cousin and other family members to vacation on a beach on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, survived.

The survivor, he told VOA, was a “two-year-old baby.” He told the Sacramento Bee that it was a “3-year-old boy.” In a tearful prayer service covered by the Post, Mowlana provided more details:

One of the victims was his first cousin, who was traveling south from the capital of Colombo for a beach vacation with his wife and three children, he said. The tsunami water flooded their van, drowning all inside except Mowlana’s 3-year-old nephew. Mowlana choked back tears as he recounted how his cousin threw the child out of the window in a desperate, but successful, attempt to save his life.

Now, this is an incredible story. A van is suddenly swept up in the massive tsunami waves and is flooded, yet somehow Mowlana’s cousin is able to grab his toddler son (who presumably is seated in the rear of the van), and toss him out the window against the powerful currents before succumbing with the other family members. And the toddler gets thrown where? Onto a tree? A piece of debris? Into the water? Can the toddler swim?

Incredible that Mowlana would know such precise details, given that his cousin drowned in the van. I suppose it’s possible that the “two-year-old baby” or “3-year-old nephew” might have told a rescuer who then told Mowlana about how the child was thrown out the window. Who rescued him? Has Mowlana tracked down the rescuers to thank them personally? Has Mowlana visited the boy or offered to adopt the orphaned child?

Perhaps Ms. Salmon, the intrepid Post reporter traveling with Mowlana will be able to meet the boy and interview him directly? Perhaps a Post editor can relay that request to her? Perhaps an editor can get Ms. Salmon to find more details about the 30 or 40 other relatives who Mowlana says were killed?

So many questions. Can’t wait to hear some answers.

FYI, Jacqueline Salmon’s e-mail address is salmonj@washpost.com

Washington Post ombudsman Michael Getler can be reached at ombudsman@washpost.com or getlerm@washpost.com

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Related:

Beware of shady tsunami charities
More tsunami vultures
Tsunami spam

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