Maria Hertogh Riots

Maria Hertogh Riots Background

• Maria Hertogh, a Dutch-Eurasian Catholic girl, was given up for adoption by her biological parents during the Japanese Occupation (J.O.)
• Che Aminah, a Muslim woman, adopted Maria during the J.O.
• After the J.O., Maria's biological parents wanted her back.

Conflict

• Maria's biological father was a prisoner of war during the J.O., leading Maria to live with Che Aminah.
• Maria's parents claimed they only wanted Che Aminah to care for Maria for a few days.
• Che Aminah claimed that the lack of official adoption papers didn't negate the common practice of informal adoptions during the J.O., leading to her belief that Maria was hers.

Court Hearing

• Judges decided Maria was to live with her biological parents.
• Che Aminah appealed this decision.
• Maria was placed in a Catholic convent while the appeal was pending, even though she had been raised as a Muslim.

Escalation

• Maria's life in the convent was the subject of controversial newspaper stories.
• Maria was engaged at the age of 14, the legal age for marriage in Islam, but the engagement was cancelled. Judges considered her Catholic and raised the age to 16 for her to marry.
• Che Aminah's appeal was rejected.
• The Muslim community, supporters of Che Aminah, felt the British judges unfairly sided with the Dutch parents.

Riots

• Supporters of Che Aminah rioted for three days, attacking Europeans, Eurasians, and Muslims suspected of siding with the British.

Impact

• The British imposed a two-week curfew and deployed the army to restore order.
• The riots resulted in 18 deaths, 173 injuries, 72 burned vehicles, 119 damaged vehicles, and extensive damage to personal property.
• Racial and religious tensions escalated, with many believing the court ruling favored Europeans over the local population.