Rushdie Haunted by his unholy Ghosts — Page 36
36 Mohamed Arshad Ahmedi Dr. Ali also admits to ‘the history of imperial domination and colonial exploitation by the West. ’ (p. 155). This argument carries more import when it comes from the pen of a Christian missionary who was born in one of the countries that the West had such a big influence on, and is a product of their mis- sion. Dr. Ali continues: ‘But while recognising that some expatriates may feel called to identify with the very poor of a particular country, this must not by any means be confused with identifying with the indigenous culture. This assumption itself seems to be a sign of arrogance, implying that the missionary’s culture is always superior, and that identification with the host culture involves deprivation. . . . Many missionaries, however, never go beyond the acquisition of rudimentary knowledge of a local language. They have no real encounter with the art, music and literature of the country in which they live and where they have been called to serve. ’ (p. 155). Dr. Ali is also aware of the ‘real danger of creating the kind of nationalist Christianity which, by its very nature, is inward looking and ignorant’. Is it not amazing to note the comparison ! When the Western powers went out to the other countries including Muslim ones, they imposed their superiority as rulers and kept their culture intact and kept their own exclusive social circle; but when the Muslims, together with other groups of people, have come to live in the West and have come to serve and are renowned for being law-abiding citizens, why then are they being singled out for not conforming to the culture and ways of the West and being accused of creating ghettos and living as a closed community ? Surely, this is not fair play, is it ?