Indonesia: colonialism and decolonisation according to David Van Reybrouck

The Belgian historian, general journalist, and literator, David Van Reybrouck, is best known through his great book on Congo (2010). It was partly written on documentation, but for more than 50% based on interviews with living people: oral history, anecdotes and small personal stories picture the colonial history of the country which began in the 1880s. Van Reybrouck also was the co-author of the two books by Morocco-Belgian Mohamed El Bachiri, whose wife was killed by an attack by Muslim terrorists in Brussels on 22 March 2016 (A Jihad of Love; The Odyssee of Mohamed).
After five years of research he now has published a book of 600 pages which concentrates on the rise and development of the colonialism in Indonesia from 1600-1942 and the difficult process of the revolutionary war between 1945-1949 after which the Netherlands finally gave up its colonial rule. The period 1945-1949 fills about half the book. Reybrouck is quite rude about the Dutch personnel during the VOC period, during the colonial state, and also about the present opinions of Dutch people. Only six percent of the population now is negative about the colonial past and 26% would prefer to 'own' overseas parts in the country. This is much higher than found among citizens of France or the UK, the two largest former colonial states. The Dutch were crude, severe, had a wrong understanding of the Indonesians, especially their wish to follow the national aspirations of Sukarno and his movement since the 1920s. After the Japanese rule there were ample occasions for a smooth transition of power and end a war that cost about 200.000 lives on the side of the Indonesians, but the Dutch were obstinate and only American interventions and threat to stop economic cooperation made an end to their efforts in 1949.

Although the title of the book only refers to the period 1945-1949, it has a much broader picture of Indonesian history. About the subject of revolution, Van Reybrouck stresses that the global role of Indonesia was important, even leading. It was the first Asian country to claim and reach independence, even before India and Pakistan. In 1955 it became the leader (at the Bandung Conference) of the Third World Movement. As to the earlier history it is clear that the Dutch presence in the VOC never was a peaceful trading company: it brought an army with it, and used it. Through the genocide of the population of the Banda Islands and the implementation of the monopoly on spices in the hongi inspections, where all clove trees outside the island of Ambon were cut. After 1700 the cooking in France and many European countries changed: from pepper and other eastern spices to European ones and so the export of food changed to coffee, tea, cacao, sugar, while indigo became important for the colour of clothes. In this way economy and colonial policy changed too. I am still in the first chapters of the book, but this new presentation of colonialism and its end, extremely well written in a lively style, will be important for the general attitude towards Indonesian and Dutch colonial history.

The dubious abuse of blasphemy

On 16 October this year, a French teacher in a secondary school in Paris was killed by a young man of Chech offspring. The main reason was that he had showed a cartoon of an Arab man with a turban, with a bomb. Apparently it was thought that this was not just the image of an extremist, but of the Prophet Muhammad. There were many reactions in Europe, also in the Netherlands. Clearly, the victim of the killing was a defender of free speech. But among Dutch Muslims a protest started on the internet with a list asking that in the Netherlands a law should defend the Muslim prophet against blasphemy. More than 150.000 people signed this proposal and a debate in the media and also in the parliament was held pro and contra this movement. Who was the victim? The Prophet Muhammad for the showing of an angry and violent Arab man?  Or rather the teacher Pathy in France and victims of the man who killed some people in Austria, close to a Jewish Synagoge?

From the examples of Pakistan we know that aggressive defence of the honour of the Pophet and against any expression that can be labelled blasphemy may cause tension and also violence between religious communities. After the return of HRS, Habib Rizieq Shihab in Jakarta after 3,5 years of exile in Mecca, this issue has now began in Indonesia too.

After the return of Rizieq in Jakarta on 10 November, people apparently had problems to deal with the agenda of this 'firebrand' as he is labelled by some. The chiefs of police of Central and West Jakarta have been replaced because  HRS did not obey the rules for social distance due in the time of the corona epidemic. But Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan paid a courtesy rule to this unruly citizen (because he needs his support in order to become president at the next elections of 2023?) Baswedan and the host were wearing the required masks here. During this courtesy call the rules were followed! HRS also went with a large following to the Puncak area on 12 November to open a new pesantren of his 'movement'. 14-15 November HRS celebrated maulid and the marriage of a son in Petamburan. For this marriage the mayorof Central Jakarta helped with some facilities and was thereupon dismissed from his function by governor Anies Baswedan.What else will follow? During this trip to Puncak there was a lady who expressed her negative opinion about Rizieq ans she was calleda 'whore'by the Imam besar of Jakarta and said: "If the police fail to process (the blasphemy against him), then don't blame the Muslims when a head is found in the streets..." (source: Jakarta Post, 26 November 2020). Apparently, accusation of blasphemy can create all kind of self-appointed victims and will never work as a healing or peace-creating factor.

A new Introduction to the Qur'an from Edinburgh

In the 1970s and 1980s there were two  basic books on the Qur'an in European academic studies: the reprint of the book by Theodor Nöldeke, Geschichte des Qorans and the English (published by Edinburg University Press) by William Montgomery Watt, Bell's Introduction to the Qur'an. The latter book has a strange title, because only a small part is the original work by Richard Bell, and most of it by his student, Montgomery Watt. The basic idea of Watt was about the changing society in Mecca: from a closed group, around powerful tribal leaders, to an open trading society of individuals. This new society was in need of new ethics: no longer the pride of people about their tribe, but the individual persons earning money, who should learn how to be benevolent towards the poor in a society, where no longer the tribal chief took responsibility for the poor and weak. The ethical renewal of Muhammad had to do with the call to the rich who should care for the poor.

Then we had the book by Patricia Crone on the Meccan trade as small and not important on the global scale. And the whole idea of the changing society in need of new ethics disappeared. This great vision of Watt even is no longer mentioned in this book. I also missed the Abraham-theory of Snouck Hurgonje: that only in the later Meccan (perhaps) and in de early Medina period Abraham was identified with Arab culture. although sura 2 receives ample discussion (97-104) and the new vision on Abraham is rightly seen as 'a climactic conclusion to the preceding polemic against Jews and Christians' (103)

Edinburg University Press has now published a new book on the Qur'an: the book by Bell and Watt is only mentioned once in a negative way. On p. 87 the two authors are quoted as champions for a fragmented Qur'an with many short passages and virtually never a whole sura as a literary unit. Sinai, educated in the literary tradition of Angelika Neuwirth, is a firm defender of the sura as a literary unit.  In the summary of the doctrine the new perspective of Meccan society as individual traders is also not mentioned. Now the eschatological symbols are related to the sermons of Ephrem and Jacob of Serugh: "Syriac homilies are redolent of the Qur'an in a considerable number of respects: they criticise man's excessive 'love' of material possessions, his miserliness, and his insatiable desire 'to have more'; they draw on themes of social criticism enshrined in the Hebrew Bible, such as the demand to protect orphans and the poor or the condemnation of false measures (Q 83:1-3); they follow Matthew 6:5-6 in censuring ostentious praying (Q 107:6); and they ascribe a special salvific significance to almsgiving. Furthermore, the early Qur'anic endorsement of vigils is highly reminiscent of the prayer regimen of Christan monks.' (166-7). Remains the question: is it necessary to write about similar, quite obvious ideas between the Christian Bible and the Qur'an in relation to preachers living 100 or even 300 years before Muhammad at a distance of some 2000 kilometer?

The revolutionary ideas of John Wansbrough in the 1970s are firmly rejected: the Qur'an was finished at least between 630-650, with the many manuscripts from San'a.  There is a Meccan period (even clearly discernable in three period, identical to Nöldeke's) and a Medina period, with many ritual and social rules, militancy, but no clear periods or temporal divisions. Problematic in Qur'an interpretation is the lack of local and personal data: as if it is all sermons, a literary style where also the informative parts are lacking, because the believers are considered as knowledgeable. Sinai does not talk about literary beauty of the text, after all it is an academic book. Definitely very readible and covering anything we would like to have it now.

I am now thinking about rewriting the small book from 2002: De Korte Hoofdstukken van de Koran, in fact a commentary on sura 78-114 of the Qur'an, known as Juz 'm Amma. It is interesting to read the new commentaries. Sinai is a fascinating and honest author, who can raise and feed respect for the Qur'an.