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Ian Buruma returns to his native land to explore the great dilemma of our time through the story of the brutal murder of controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh at the hands of an Islamic extremist.
It was the emblematic crime of our moment: On a cold November day in Amsterdam, an angry young Muslim man, Mohammed Bouyeri, the son of Moroccan immigrants, shot and killed the celebrated and controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, great-grandnephew of Vincent and iconic European provocateur, for making a movie with the vocally anti-Islam Somali-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali that "blasphemed" Islam. After Bouyeri shot van Gogh, he calmly stood over the body and cut his throat with a curved machete, as if performing a ritual sacrifice, which in a very real sense he was.
The murder horrified quiet, complacent, prosperous Holland, a country that prides itself on being a bastion of tolerance, and sent shock waves across Europe and around the world. Shortly thereafter, Ian Buruma returned to his native country to try to make sense of it all and to see what larger meaning should and shouldn't be drawn from this story. The result is Buruma's masterpiece: a book with the intimacy and narrative control of a true-crime page-turner and the intellectual resonance we've come to expect from one of the most well-regarded journalists and thinkers of our time. Ian Buruma's entire life has led him to this narrative: In his hands, it is the exemplary tale of our age, the story of what happens when political Islam collides with the secular West and tolerance finds its limits.
Complementary readings to this interesting bookReviewed by César González Rouco, 2009-10-17
There are already many good reviews, so I will only add that, for a
better understanding of the Islam/West relationship (neither
flattering one side nor biased against the other), I would suggest
reading the following works, it is worth it: a) "The Cartoons that
shook the world" by Jytte Klausen (as impartial as humanly
possible); b)"Muslims in the West: Redefining the Separation of
Church & State" by Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh (harsh but well
argued); c) "Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really
Think" by John L. Esposito & Dalia Mogahed (the political point
of view of 1.3 billion Muslim people today); d) "Infidel" by Ayaan
Hirsi Ali (autobiography of a courageous woman); e) "Destiny
Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes" by Tamim
Ansary (a dual perspective); f) "Understanding Jihad" by David Cook
(relevant to know what Jihad means); and g) "The West and Islam
Religion and Political Thought in World History" by Antony Black
(superb comparative history of Western and Muslim political
ideas).
Cultural turmoilReviewed by Jason Cutshall, 2009-06-07
This book captured the current turmoil in Europe, which is almost exclusively cultural. It reads like a journal article and the writing flows very well. The research seems fair and honest. Even though their is always bias, this books seems to give the facts of each murder with very little person spin. I found this book very helpful in understanding the underlying tensions throughout Europe as a whole. In the Netherlands specifically it helped me to understand a lot of the anger and division that exists and was a great introduction to the political and cultural turmoil that exists there. I would recommend this to anyone who is living in Europe or travels there often and wants to understand current European tension.
The murder of a heroReviewed by Gary Selikow, 2009-05-25
The late Pim Fortuyn of Holland was no more an extremist than any
other defender of Western democratic and civilized values. He was
not anti-semitic, he supported tolerance and he was against Islamic
terror, intolerance and barbarism. He was openly gay and proud of
it, he naturally saw islam as THE threat against the openness of
Western societies, and ever more active and hate-filled Muslims in
western countries as an increasing threat - growing by each
day.
Islam, as given in the Quran, wishes to make all territories that
have a large muslim minority - or better yet majority - part of the
Ummah - the Islamic continuum that is ruled by Shariah, in which
non-Muslims either obey, or die. You doubt my words? Look at how
all Arabic and Muslim states work, not a single democracy, and
Christians, Jews and other faiths are constantly being attacked and
persecuted. DO YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN TO LIVE THAT WAY?
Pim Fortuyn was also a great friend of Israel , which is a mark of
moral distinction in my book. I believe that one's attitude to
Israel is the defining moral issue. Those who are friendly to
Israel are good and those hostile to Israel are evil!
Pim Fortuyn was brutally murdered in May , 2002 by a Communist
gunman who was sympathetic to Moslem terrorists (the unholy
alliance of the far left and Islamic extremists is the greatest
threat to a civilized world today.)
Fortuyn's foul murder was preceded by his demonization by the Left
in the Netherlands.
Here are some of the late 20th centuries greatest political leaders
who where murdered by the Marxist-Islamic Axis of Evil:
Joseph Colombo Snr Italian community leader and leader of
Italian-American Civil Rights League, was shot and put into a coma
by a Black extremist terrorist at an Italian Unity Day rally in
Columbus Circle onJune 28, 1971, died after seven years of living
in a vegetative state in 1978.
Emperor Haile Sellasie : Emperor of Ethiopia. Deposed by the
Marxist Dergue in 1974 and murdered by them in 1975.
Bashir Gemayel: Lebanese Christian Maronite Leader and briefly
President of Lebanon , assassinated by Syrian backed Moslem
terrorists in 1982.
Rabbi Meir Kahane: Jewish Nationalist activist , Torah scholar and
founder of the Jewish Defence League gunned down by Moslem
terrorists in New York in 1990.
Sifiso Nkabinde: democracy activist in South Africa and Secretary
General of the United Democratic Movement. Had been demonized by
the Marxist ANC and the media. Assasinated by vicious Marxist thugs
in January 1999.
Rabbi Benyamin Ze'eev Kahane and Talia Kahane: Jewish Nationalist
leader in Israel and his wife. Ambushed and gunned down by
Palestinian terrorists in December 2000.
Ahmad Shah Massoud played a leading role in driving the Soviet army
out of Afghanistan, earning him the nickname Lion of Panjshir. Many
Afghans call him Âmir Sahib-e Shahîd, translating to (Our)
Martyred Commander. Assasinated by the Taliban on 9 September
2001.
Rechavam Ze'evi: Former Israeli general , war hero and Minister of
Tourism , assasinated in Jerusalem by the terrorist Popular Front
for the Liberation of Palestine , in October 2001.
Pim Fortuyn: Dutch Liberal political leader , assasinated by a
Communist gunman in May 2002.
Jonas Savimbi: freedom fighter , leader of the pro-democracy UNITA
in Angola. Assasinated by the Marxist regime of Angola-the MPLA in
2002.
Pierre Gemayel : Christian Phalange leader in Lebanon and key
opponent of Syrian occupation of Lebanon and the terrorist-Nazi
Hezbollah. Murdered by Hezbollah on 21 November 2006
An Introduction to Modern EuropeReviewed by B. Young, 2008-09-18
Like many Dutch, Ian Buruma probably found himself at a loss to
describe the roots that led to the death of provocateur filmmaker
Theo van Gogh. He returned home for a time and reimmersed himself
in modern Holland. `Murder In Amsterdam,` the result, is an
easy-to-read introduction to the rifts within modern Islam, the
plight of immigrant states in Europe, and the cultural skirmishes
and uneasy peace that defines the relationship between the
two.
The author sets the stage with a bit of Dutch postwar history and a
series of relevant interviews, and Buruma makes it clear that he is
out to sanctify no-one. Van Gogh uses colorful unprintables to
describe Christians, Jews, and Muslims. His murderer, Mohammed
Bouyeri, sees Holland as the cradle of a new Islamic Revolution
(because of its civil liberties, which he despises). The Dutch
establishment is overwhelmed and directionless, as well as racist;
the Moroccans and Turks who comprise nearly 40% of the population
of the Netherlands are almost too free: cut loose from their
traditional culture, they drift in a world full of overwhelming
choice and no direction. Some Muslims are for assimilation; others
are see the former as apostates. Yet they all are still mostly
rejected from society at large by those invisible chains of
education, class, and race. Over 250 pages, the only answer Buruma
gives is that there is no easy answer.
Buruma attempts to balance himself on the knife-edge that is the
middle ground, and mostly succeeds. Yet despite his best attempts
at a reporter`s objectivity, between the lines one can still see
the author`s muted sorrow at the plight of men like Ahmed
Aboutaleb, the city councillor who works hard to be a bridge in a
society separated by an ever-widening gulf.
For an overarching look at the issues of assimilation and cultural
respect facing many countries in Europe today, Ian Buruma is a good
place to start.
Dutch tolerance?Reviewed by N. Anderberg, 2008-08-18
In November 2004 Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered in the streets
of Amsterdam. With the murder in 2002 of the prime-minister to be,
Pim Fortuyn, the Netherlands was stunned by two horrendous crimes.
Nothing comparable had happened in 300 years. Holland was such a
peaceful little country, famous for its tolerance and liberalism.
Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll - everything seemed permissible.
Ian Buruma was raised in the nicer parts of the Hague. He has been
active in Oxford, Tokyo and Washington. Since 2005 he lives in New
York. Following the two murders he went back to the Netherlands to
try to come to grips with this new situation in his native country.
His inquiry resulted in this book. He knew some of the people he
interviews from back then. With one of them he had been playing in
the sandbox; the future professor of Philosophy, Herman Philipse,
the guy who seduced Ayaan Hirsi Ali both to a personal relationship
- and to Atheism. Buruma thought of him even then as a somewhat
pompous child. I suppose you have to be Dutch to be able to picture
him heaving a rubber spade in his Oxford tweed jacket...(note that
I'm actually a fan of his).
Ian Buruma tries to expose the background for the two murders.
Historically he illustrates this with the famous `Regenten'-
paintings by Frans Hals in Haarlem. `Regenten' were representatives
from the republican merchant elite who opposed both the royal House
of Orange and the Calvinist church. In these gloomy but superb
paintings, we, as present-day tourists, are haughtily and coldly
observed by these members of the board - men as well as women.
Sends shivers down your spine.
Pim Fortuyn was certainly no Calvinist and only a lukewarm
royalist, but Buruma contrasts his populism with the might of the
Left Church; social democrats, liberals and the Green Party.
Fortuyn was friendly with Theo van Gogh who also wrote some of his
speeches and used to call him `the divine baldy'. Van Gogh was an
astounding enfant terrible. Unlike Fortuyn he grew up in an
upper-class family. In high school he started a magazine which he
christened the Dirty Paper. The topics were typically puberal in
the toilet-humor vein. His partner in crime was a certain Johan
Quarles van Ufford. The magazine only ever appeared twice, but it
gives a nice idea of Van Goghs shock-tactics. He loved to provoke
all and sundry. Some of his utterances are probably not fit for
printing, although he would punch my nose for saying so, but they
are of the caliber of describing Jesus as a `rotten fish' and
famously - and fatefully - calling Muslims, well, something I
apparently can't reveal here although it's all in the book. Many
felt he actually deserved to die. But what about freedom of speech?
Is it absolute and without any restrictions whatsoever? Isn't there
something in the constitution about discrimination and harassment ?
The law forbidding heresy had not been used since the sixties, when
a well-known author portrayed God as a donkey. He was acquitted.
Now this law has been revived and passions run high. The subtitle
of the book is `Liberal Europe, Islam, and the Limits of Tolerance'
but Buruma only lightly touches on this. You would probably need
yet another book to seriously address such an ambitious
agenda.
A scary thing I wasn't aware of, is how the soccer-fans of
Rotterdam greet AJAX Amsterdam when they come to town. Apart from
the customary `filthy Jews' or `cancer Jews', they collectively let
out a hissing sound which slowly grows stronger. Buruma didn't know
what to make of it until a friend explained: they are mimicking the
sound of escaping gas.
Who said that the Netherlands was so very tolerant?
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