October 09, 2007

Images in our mind's eye...

The following image is shocking.

We spent some tome today speaking about the need for 'cultural intelligence' when working as a Long Term Cross Cultural Worker (LTCCW [aka missionary]).

What images come to mind when you see the term 'Fundamentalist Muslim'?
If you are an American they are not pleasant. More than likely visions of 9/11. Further, you probably didn't even need the modifier of fundamentalist to conjure these ideas in your mind.

What about Fundamentalist Christian?
And what if this was asked of a Muslim person?



The following is the image that comes to mind in Indonesia...a tortured prisoner at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, Iraq.



How would you choose to respond to the knowledge that this is the way you are perceived?

1 comment:

WTF?! said...

The crazy thing is, there are plenty of people right here in America who view Christianity as synonymous with the Bush administration foreign policy...

Mary and I were just talking about how we can more effectively use language to circumnavigate the connotations associated with words like 'church, Christianity, salvation, etc.'