Buruma Reflection

Murder In Amsterdam, by Ian Buruma, was a compelling story about liberal Europe, Islam, and the limits of tolerance. While the book was a little hard to follow at first because of all the names mentioned, my reading became more fluid the farther I got into the book. Upon reflection of the reading I especially liked chapters 5 (Submission), 6 (A Promising Boy), and 7 (In Memoriam).

In chapter 5, I was forced to really analyze Ayaan Hirsi Alli, what she stood for and represented, and why so many people resented her. While Buruma suggests Bouyeri didn't like her because she was a traitor of Islam, others didn't like her because she was an "indigenous clone" (143). I found that extremely interesting because I feel like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place since she wasn't embraced in either society, nor does she feel comfortable in either society. When she lived in Kenya, she felt as though she couldn't be herself since she had to hide her boyfriend along with her feelings since Islam has such a "warped view of sexuality" (146). But I feel like her moving to gain more freedoms was only partially successful because since she started speaking out in Holland she's spent her time under permanent guard.

On a different note, I didn't like how Hirsi Alli gets disgusted by the fact that some women refuse to exercise/want the same freedoms she enjoys. I feel it's a bit hypocritical, if not confusing, to go around talking about how liberty is so great and yet she condemns people (especially women) for choosing to live a life differ t from her own (i.e. Her sister who at first was rebellious but eventually retreated by to her original religion). Finally, Alli talks more about culture than she does religion. Overall she believes Islam is a disease and the enlightenment ideals are the cure; by speaking her mind she feels like she stirring things up. But like Buruma, I agree that "resistance is not always wise. But it can be necessary" (179). However I feel in Hirsi Alli's case, she's resisting in a way that's forcing people to walk away instead of join her cause.

In chapter 6 we learn more about Mohammed Bouyeri. He claims that if he were ever set free, he would kill more infidels. When Buruma asks the reader to to consider what made an ordinary man like Bouyeri into a cold-hearted killer, I started to connect Bouyeri and people like him to Nazi soldiers that we learned about in fascism. I kept asking myself: Was Allah the new Hitler who influenced people through the fear of the afterlife and propaganda perpetuated through the Koran? After reading chapter 6 I came to the conclusion that indeed, Bouyeri and the Nazi soldiers share similar life situations. For example, they both have a strict leader who sets forth a doctrine that can possibly be interpreted in multiple ways. Furthermore, they were both highly influenced by specific situations and people that shaped them into murderers. They both also knew better and were educated. Eventually both groups were hypnotized by their cult (Nazi Regime and Islam) which lead to the killings. Both were highly influenced by their surroundings and influences.

Like the Nazis who after a certain amount of shootings, became numb to the murders, I think Bouyeri's point of no return occurred when he isolated himself from his family, dropped his old friends, and began following people like Nouredine, Samir, and Mohammed Radwar Alissa. While experiences throughout his whole life shaped him, these three events were like the tipping point. His narrow-minded view of the world through his extremely violent ideas of Tafkir, where to love is a sin and to hate is a virtue, was the result of the people he surrounded himself with. Buruma even says "For the liberation preached by Mohammed was the liberation of death, of oblivion, the kind of heroic sacrifice that inspired European fascists in the 1930s.

Finally, in chapter 7, Buruma begins with how Amsterdam plans to memorialize Van Gogh's legacy. I liked how Buruma talked about how in a globalizing world, national histories are essential. People need a past to feel like they have an identity in the face of multiculturalism. But although Muslims retain their religion, they still don't feel like they belong (in Holland). Cohen suggests that we need "mutual respect" (244). Accordingly, Buruma believes attacking Islam won't help the situation either. Aboutaleb with them. He says "Tolerance is not a one-way street" (250). But the violent Muslims make it hard for peaceful Muslims to feel at home because they're all looked at the same way. However this situation isn't solely associated with Muslims on Holland or Muslims in general. I was reading a book about the progression of hip hop and it's influence on society. In the book there was an incident when the author (a black man) went overseas for an educational program but his roommate was European. Apparently, the European man wanted to change rooms because he was reportedly scared for his life after all the music videos he'd seen of black rappers. Obviously this is an extreme case but it just goes to show how a couple bad eggs can ruin it for everyone. Perception is everything. While Europe provides "the freedom to explore, to reform, and to challenge" (259), ultimately it's up to it's citizens to keep an open mind if they want to progress.