Islamophobia versus Freedom of Speech?

A turbulant war of words has been initiated in international politics. The French teacher Samuel Paty showed in a secondary school the Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad and was brutally killed, slaughtered with a knife, like a butcher killing a goat or cow. The crime was committed by an 18 years old man from Russia, of Chechanian offspring. He was shot dead immediately. A French organization active against Islamophobia had called for action against this teacher. This organization now is forbidden by President Macron, a mosque related to this call against the teacher has been closed for six months. Now Erdogan has called for doctors to psychologically investigate his French colleague, while Erdogan has also called the Dutch politican Wilders as a fascist (imitating Hitler and his hatred against Jews?). The French President called his ambassador in Ankara back to Paris. The Dutch Prime Minister has not yet taken measures against Erdogan, who now also calls for a ban on French products in Turkish shops (joining an Arab boycot of French products).

It is still a war of words, but is urges us to think about the abuse of words like Islamophobia. The difficult issue is that of application of the word 'Islam" to deeds of Muslims. Is 'pure' Islam the cause of hatred, violent actions? Is there any Holy War possible? In the name of Christianity religious leaders called for the crusades and the 'liberation of Jerusalem' from Muslim rule. Also in the colonial period, from the first charter of the VOC to the last periods there was some religious motivation in the actions against the Muslims of Indonesia and the division of the colony on the basis of race and religion (Europeans/Christians, Other Asians, native people =Muslims). I even think that the great role of religion in social life (and social divisions) in Indonesia has its roots in this colonial period, when (in contrast to the separation of religion and politics in the Netherlands), religion continued to play a role in social rules like marriage, inheritance, social position in Indonesia.

Daily Sabah is (after the Gülen newspaper Zaman Today was closed by Erdogan) the largest English Language newspaper of Turkey. It had another article: 'Turkey has after the UK the largest number of Starbucks branches of any European country, but why?' This shows the difficult position of modern Turkey in Europe (not in the Arab world, or in Middle Eastern Societies!). Some times one may hope that there should be less religion in our lives!

Pak Termors, the first Indonesian Years 1970-1974 (and much more)

After the 30 September 1965 coup, a 'normalization ' of relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands started soon thereafter. As Finance Minister between 1966-8 Frans Seda invited IMF and other international parties to join the plans for new relations. The Netherlands became chair of the IGGI, the International Government Group on Indonesian Affairs. One of the effects was that also academic contacts could start again. I remember that in the 1970s a report was written with the title Terug van Weggeweest: Hoe de Leidse Academie in het spoor van het kapitaal de weg naar Indonesië terugvond (or a title like: Back from some absence: How Leiden University found its way to Indonesia again, following the big capital). It is a general symptom that difficult international discussions can show as their result some cultural cooperation: cheap and good to show that there have been quick results. One of these was the start of contacts with the Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta on training about Dutch Language and literature. A project started in 1969 and Gerard Termorshuizen moved to Jakarta in early 1970 to become a second person (next to Jan de Vries)  to train Indonesians in Dutch language and literature. He stayed until late 1974. In 1975 the first group of five Indonesian continued this program in Leiden, six months later followed by a group of five more (in total 8 female and two male students). They graduated with a doctorandus degree (equivalent to MA) in 1975 and 1976. But they did not really return to Indonesia: they all came soon back again to the Netherlands, married Dutch partners and continued their career in this country instead of setting up courses in Dutch language and (colonial/post-colonial) Dutch literature at Indonesian universities, which was the initial goal of the program.

Gerard Termorshuizen (born 1935, now 85 years old) wrote about this project a fascinating, very personal book, published only as a private work, communicated in his large circle of friends. The first 40 pages are about his youth and early life until 1970, pages 171-206 are notes about his great project during 50 more years working on research and enjoyment of Dutch colonial literature (individual authors, the journalists and their newspapers).

I arrived only three months after Pak Termors, as he is commonly known, in Indonesia: seven years younger, at the age of 28 I began my research on pesantren in March 1970. From 1978-1988 I was involved in programs with the IAIN, the Institut Agama Islam Negeri, the State Academy of Islamic Studies. My field of work was already established: I was only an observer and later (1978-88) an exceptional external expert in large and established institutions. Out of the first group of nine students who came in the Netherlands 1978-9, all nine returned to their families and work in Indonesia. Five wrote a doctoral dissertation on Islamic subjects, with an Indonesian and a Dutch Professor as tutor. This number has been increasing since then continuously. The study of Dutch and Dutch colonial literature is of course a small subject compared to the vast institutions about Islamic Studies, at least in Indonesia.

In fact Termorshuizen wrote a very intriguing book about a Dutch scholar in Indonesian society, finding his way (of working and living). There are many naughty stories about his affairs with women, written down after so many years, as somewhat special sections in this book with its many subjects and variations. The greatest project was not the training of students, but the translation of the Max Havelaar book by H.B. Yassin, followed by the preparations for the movie on the book. There are nice portraits of individual people: Jacob Vredenbregt, Han Resink, Rob Nieuwenhuis and many others. I thank Gerard for this very personal gift to the broad circle of Indonesian and Dutch students of the changing Indonesian society and its cultures. It is a unique story that quite many of us will read and re-read with passion and surprise, recognizing their own and theirs friends' life stories.

Restaurant Garuda in The Hague closing: what about Indonesian heritage in The Netherlands?

 In Utrecht restaurant Paradise was for many years the most famous place for Indonesian food. It closed down two years ago to make place for a vegetarian rival. Now the iconic restaurant Garuda in The Hague has financial and managerial problems. Peter 't Mannetje, the owner of the last forty years is 73 years and looking for a successor, he can't find. He has financial problems as well. Garuda was a prominent place to be: ministers, ambassadors were eating here. But in general the Indonesian rstaurants, the most visible remnant of Indonesian connections in the Netherlands are lossing public. indeed there are some new places: in Utrecht we have since a few years Blauw, excellent food in a small building. Spekuk is another one, small, narrow seats with good food. But no longer so popular as Turkish Kebab of Japanese sushi.

It is not all in decline in the Netherlands. In my town of Utrecht the Moluccan Historical Museum was closed some ten years ago, but there is since last year another Indonesian Cultural Centre in The Hague Indonesische Herinneringscentrum, Sophiaweg 10. It is mostly a quite nostalgique 'Memorial Centre'! Still, I consider the closing down of restaurants with Indonesian food an example of the diminishing attenton for the colonial connections that the country had for a very long period. In fact, we can consider it as part of the cultural debate that is now very negative: debate on slavery, on cruelties and oppression from the time of Jan Pieterszoon Coen up to the last colonial war of 1945-1949. 

In the first chapter of my books on Catholics in Indonesia,  I wrote a comment, that can be repeated now also for the return impact on the Netherlands:

A popular novel about the effect of the colonial past for present Indo­nesia by the famous Dutch author Hella Haasse has as its title Krassen op een Rots, (Scratches on a Rock). It states that the effects of the 350 years of Dutch colonialism did not last long, because colonialism never touched the heart of Indonesian society. Perhaps one of the most lasting effects of the colonial presence are the lively Christian communities of Indonesia, now totalling about 10% of a population of more than 200 million.

Send it back! Dutch report on possible return of colonial theft of cultural heritage

On 7 October 2020 a report was handed over to the Dutch Government with the title Koloniale collecties en erkenning van onrecht (= Colonial collections and recognition of injustice). It concludes that thousands, perhaps about more than one hundred thousand cultural objects were stolen by the colonial government in Surinam, the Dutch Caribean Islands and Indonesia. If the objects were honestly paid for, or  given by free owners, there is no problem. But if they were stolen, and the former owners want it back (in fact the states of Indonesia, Surinam, Curacao and other islands) then it should seriously be considered to send these objects back. Examples were given such as the large diamond stolen from Banjarmasin during the war of 1859 and the precious objects in Lombok (Cakranegara) during the war of 1894 (only the manuscript of the Negarakertagama was once given back to Indonesia, during the visit of President Soeharto to the Netherlands in 1970).

Another example is the beautiful statue of Ganesha, taken in 1803 from the temple of Singasari in East Java and brought to the mansion of the Governor of the Northcoast of Java in Semarang at the request of Governor Engelman and later brought to the Netherlands. Now it is a masterpiece at the largest museum of the country, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. If the Indonesian government wants it back there should be no argument that the theft is already outdated because of lapse of time. It will probably a matter of some long deliberations and some time, but the director of the commision, Lilian Goncalves-Ho Kang You, responded that colonialism was a matter of nearly four hundred years (1600-1975) and that its restoration may take some time as well.