Snouck Hurgronje, Christiaan << SNOHK hur GRAWN yuh, KRIHS tee `ahn` >> (1857-1936), was a Dutch scholar known for his writings about Islam. He was one of the first Westerners to visit Islam’s holiest place, the city of Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia. In later life, Snouck was an adviser for the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).
Snouck was born on Feb. 8, 1857, in Oosterhout, the Netherlands. He attended the University of Leiden, where he studied theology as well as Arabic and other Semitic languages. Arabic is central to the Islamic religion. Snouck received a Ph.D. degree in Semitic languages in 1880.
In 1884, Snouck received a scholarship from the Dutch government to travel to Mecca to witness the hajj, a holy pilgrimage. However, only Muslims are allowed to enter Mecca. In early 1885, Snouck announced his conversion to Islam and assumed the name Abd al-Ghaffar. Most historians question whether his conversion reflected a genuine acceptance of Muslim beliefs. Many scholars think he just followed the outward practices of the religion so that he could visit and study in Mecca. He traveled to the city and studied with Muslim scholars for several months. However, Snouck left the city shortly before the hajj because he had been falsely accused of trying to steal a historical artifact. In 1888 and 1889, Snouck published Mecca, a two-volume book about the city.
In 1889, Snouck traveled to the Dutch East Indies to further study Islam. In 1890, he became an adviser to the Dutch colonial government on Asian languages and Islamic law. He visited and studied Muslim communities throughout Java and later was sent to Aceh, in northern Sumatra. The native Acehnese were in revolt against Dutch rule at the time. Snouck studied their language and culture and described his findings in a book titled The Acehnese, published in two volumes in 1893 and 1894. Snouck advised the colonial government to be tolerant of Muslims in general, but to crack down on Islamic political movements that were sowing dissent against the Dutch.
Snouck returned to the Netherlands in 1906 and became a professor of Arabic at the University of Leiden. He held this position until 1927. He died in Leiden on June 26, 1936.
