Dear Editor,
A new movie just released, Victoria and Abdul, reverses and seems the mirror opposite of prejudices of the current U.S. administration about Muslims and foreigners.
Initially I thought, as I watched it, that it was an intentional parody, created in the vein of Monty Python humour. Yet as the movie continued to unfold and the source of the story was revealed in the final credits, it became clear that more than a hundred years ago Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim had a genuine friendship.
The queen’s curiosity about India, its cultures, its Muslim tradition and its historical Hindi language was more than mere affectation but based on real interest and personal curiosity.
It’s an historic lesson worth preserving.
George Jason