Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance

Synopsis

IAN BURUMA RETURNS TO HIS NATIVE LAND TO EXPLORE, THROUGH THE STORY OF THE MURDER OF A FAMOUS FILMMAKER AT THE HANDS OF AN ISLAMIC EXTREMIST, THE GREAT DILEMMA OF OUR TIME IT WAS THE EMBLEMATIC CRIME of our moment: On a cold November day in Amsterdam, an angry young Muslim man, Mohammed Bouyeri, the son of Moroccan immigrants, shot and killed the celebrated and controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, great-grandnephew of Vincent and iconic European provocateur, for making a movie with the Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali that "insulted the prophet Mohammed." After Bouyeri shot Van Gogh, he calmly stood over the body and cut his throat with a curved machete, as if performing a ritual sacrifice, which in a very real sense he was. The murder horrified quiet, complacent, prosperous Holland, a country that prides itself on being a bastion of tolerance, and sent shock waves across Europe and around the world. Shortly thereafter, Ian Buruma returned to the country of his childhood to investigate the event and its larger meaning. The result is his masterpiece: a book with the intimacy and narrative control of a crime novel and the analytical brilliance for which Buruma is renowned. Ian Buruma's entire life's work has led him to this story. the tale of what happens when political Islam collides with the secular West, and tolerance finds its limits.

Copyright:

2006

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

267 Pages

Publisher:

N/A

Date of Addition:

11/09/06

Copyrighted By:

Ian Buruma

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Religion and Spirituality, Social Studies, Sociology

Submitted By:

Brian Miller

Proofread By:

Amber W

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.