Summary:
Maria
Hertogh was born to Dutch-Eurasian parents, & adopted during the
war by a Muslim woman, Che Aminah whom raised her and gave her the
Muslim name, Nadra. After the war, the Hertoghs wanted custody of
Maria upon receiving information in 1949 of her whereabouts. This
attracted intense media attention worldwide. Photographs in
newspapers of Maria in a Catholic convent affected religious
sensitivities amongst Malays,thinking that their religion was not
respected. At the appeal hearing, custody was given to the Hertoghs.
Large crowds felt that the British legal system were biased against
the Muslims, sparking off a riot with hatred towards the European and
Eurasian communities. A 24-hour curfew was imposed for two weeks
before British, Malay troops and Singapore Police regained control of
the situation and maintained peace.
Reflection:
From
this article, it can be seen that if religious issues are not handled
carefully, there may be a development of hostility and distrust among
the people, affecting the relationships between people in the
different religious groups. The media, no doubt, played a very
important role in the Maria Hertogh Riots. It was insensitive to the
way it handled the religious issues in Singapore. Without the
influence of the media coverage, this battle of custody would not
have been known within the country or world, thus there would not
have been ill-feelings created between the Malays and British, hence
this tragedy might have been avoided had the people been more
sensitive to those of other religious groups. Singapore is a
multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious country. Different
religious groups coexist on this land. With the religious riots
occuring, it reduces the social security felt by Singaporeans. The
damages are devastating as the riots affects the country's stability,
social order and disrupts harmony. It is thus important for everyone
to compromise each other's thoughts, feelings, and way of life.
Singaporeans have to be more sensitive to other religions and create
strong, harmonious bonds within ourselves, only then will we be able
to bring our country to greater heights as one united people.
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