Maria Hertogh Riots of 1950

Event that led to the Riots, Causes of the Riots in 1950.
When World War II broke out, Sergeant Hertogh was captured by the Japanese Army and was kept till 1945. Maria Hertogh stayed with her mother with 4 siblings that period of time. Three days after her mother's sixth child was borned, Maria went to lived with Aminah binte Mohammad, a 42-year-old Javanese woman. This transfer of custody, caused a Singaporean court case eight years later, led the tragic riots that were to come.

Maria Hertogh was then given a name Nadra binte Ma'arof in the late 1943. In 1947, Aminah fled to Kemaman, fearing harm during the Indonesian National Revolution. Maria was no different from the Mulims there. She wore same clothes, spoke the same language, and practiced her religion like everyone of her age did.

After the World War ended at 1945, Sergeant Hertogh reunited with his wife. They attempted but could not find Maria. They requested for the authorities of Dutch in Java and Singapore to trace their child, and finally got news of Maria.

The Dutch Consulate offered s$500 to make up for the expenses for bringing up Maria, wanting her to give Maria up, back to her real parents. Maria's foster parent applied to High Court on 22 April for Maria to be delivered to the custody of the Social Welfare Department. Upon hearing it, the Chief Justice approved the application on that day.

The next day, Maria was sent to a medical examination at the Middle Road Hospital then to Girls Homecraft Centre at York Hill. Maria had then made a stand that she wanted to stay with Aminah, not wanting to be back with her natural parents. On 17 May, the High Court ruled that the custody of Maria to be entitiled to the Hertoghs. Maria and her foster parent then had no choice but to part. However, the appeal filed on 28 July overrulled the verdict and was under the custody of the Social Welfare Department again.

On 1st August 1950, Maria was married to Mansoor Adabi.

Meanwhile, the Hertoghs had not given up legal pursuit to retrieve their daughter.
The lawyers delivered a letter demanding the return of Maria by 10 August, failing which legal action would be taken. The hearing opened on 20 November for two issues, namely the legality of the marriage and the custody of Maria. The verdict was that, Maria's marriage was invalid and the custody of Maria belonged to the Hertoghs.

Maria had to part with her foster mother again. She was then led to stay in the Roman Catholic Convent of the Good Shepherd in Thomson Road. Such arrangement was more convienience while the execution pending appeal was in effect, but instead it was the spark that lit the fuse of the subsequent riots.

The Singapore Standard published photos of Maria surrounded by the symbol of Christian faith which incites the anger of the Muslims. To avoid that, the CID(Criminal Investigation Department) suggests moving Maria back to York Hill but failed.

The appeal hearing started on 11 December. In 5 minutes time, the court was in disorder and riots broke out as they were convinced that the colonial legal system was biased against the Muslims.

What happened during the Maria Hertogh Riot.
The Malays (and some Chinese gangs) moved out to attack the Europeans and Eurasians in their sight. They overturned and burnt cars. The lower ranks of police force sympathize the rioters and were ineffective in quelling the riots. Reinforcements were called in only at a later time.

Consequences of the Maria Hertogh Riot.
18 people were killed, 173 were injured, 119 vehicles were damaged, at least two buildings were set on fire. 778 were detained. 509 were released and 200 were charged for rioting. A 24-hours curfew was also imposed for subsequently two weeks.

Lessons learned from the Riot.
I have learnt that religious issues are sensitive and one should not take it lightly and be sensitive to it at all times. (Even when joking.) It can cause injuries and even deaths when a religion group is not happy with another.

Why people react sensitively to religious issues.
Different religions have different practices. A practice that is common in a religion, might not be accepted in another. A same situation, to one, might not be a big deal. But to another, it is the whole world. That is why we must be sensitive to religious issuess and not cross over the line.

Infomation taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Hertogh_riots