Maria Hertogh Riots
In the early 1950s, the people saw themselves as different
races with no shared identity or destiny. Racial and religious sensitivities,
if mishandled, could cause trouble as in the Maria Hertogh riots in 1950.
Maria, a Dutch Catholic, was raised in a Muslim family during the Japanese
Occupation when her Dutch parents were prisoners in Indonesia. The story
began in 1942 when five-year old Maria was placed in the care of Che Aminah
as her parents were about to be interned by the Japanese in Java. After
the war, Maria's parents searched for the former in vain because by then,
Che Aminah had settled in Kemaman, Trengganu. When she was finally found
in early 1950 13-year old Maria was named Nadra and she had been brought
up as a Muslim all along.
Her natural parents
fought for her custody, but they lost in the first courtsuit. Later, in
August, in the care of Che Aminah, Maria married Mansor Adabi. However
in the second round of the custody battle the court ruled in favour of
the Dutch parents, annulled Maria’s marriage to Mansor Adabi and placed
her in a convent pending Che Aminah's appeal.
While English papers showed pictures of Maria being contented and happy
in her new home, the Malay papers flashed scenes of a bewildered Maria
leaving her foster mother Che Aminah and husband Mansor Adabi. Both races
were arguging and the tension was building up at an alarming rate. On Monday
11 December, the day when Che Aminah's appeal was to be heard, a large
Muslim crowd carrying banners demanding that Maria be taken out of the
convent, went berserk and began attacking every European they saw.
After two days of chaos, 18 people were dead, 173 injured and 84 cars destroyed
including a police vehicle. The real issue in this sad story is the welfare
of a child, but ignorant media presentations led it to become a battle
between Catholics and Muslims.
Learn
more about the Malays and Chinese
