Buruma's Reasons To Write A Murder In Amsterdam

A) Research Question: Buruma was motived by a multitude of reasons to write a Murder in Amsterdam, however, the most curious and pressing question being, what pushed a relatively young normal man to commit such a ruthless act and still stand behind his horrific action?

B) Thesis: Buruma argues that Bouyeri never felt a sense of identity, which in turn, lead to his breaking point of devoting his life to a radical version of Islam faith, lots of angry and resentment towards others, and an act of murder.

C) Evidence:

• At Bouyeri’s trial, Bouyeri stands before the court and makes a statement damning himself even worse than imagined. “I acted out of faith. And I made it clear if it had been my own father, or my little brother, I would have done the same thing. If I were ever released, I would do exactly the same, exactly the same” (A Promising Boy, page 189). Bouyeri makes his stance crystal clear to the court room and the public that his faith comes before anyone or anything else, no matter how rash that may seem. Buruma included this scene in the book to drive home that faith is above all for Bouyeri. Bouyeri felt as if he had no else to turn but to his faith. He protected his radical faith and his views at

all costs, even if that meant living out the rest of his life in prison.
• Bouyeri interviews a handful of Bouyeri’s childhood influences, such as teachers and peers.

A history teacher recalls seeing how intelligent Bouyeri was and pushing Bouyeri to do better and work harder. However, the teach admits the push to do better could make some adolescents angry and high-strung. Buruma attributes this as factor in Bouyeri’s later pent up anger. His peers remember Mohammed, or “Mo” as they called him, determined to be a hard worker and going out of his way to help and tutor others. They said he seemed to be a happy person. The question then becomes, when did Bouyeri change? After facing many setbacks in high school and college, Bouyeri simply began to become angry. Rejection was his worst enemy and it merely fueled him to become

worse.
• After Mohammed’s mother passed away from breast cancer, the attack of 9/11, and he drew away from those close to him, Mohammed’s “moods began to darken” (A Promising Boy, page 209). He befriended illegal immigrants and began to turn towards radical and irrational practices of Islam. Buruma argues that Bouyeri’s mind became muddied and warped. He is in no way excusing an act as horrific as murder, he is simply trying to unravel the mystery of Mohammed Bouyeri’s mind. Buruma explains that Bouyeri had a raging temper when it came to defending his faith. He had many targets that his angry reflected on, the two most prevalent in the book being Hirsi Ali and Theo Van Gogh. Bouryeri felt they insulted his faith deeply, thoroughly, and fully.
• Buruma dedicates subchapter 9 of A Promising Boy to explain the morning of the dark and public murder of Theo Van Gogh. Buruma seems to describe Mohammed’s attitude and spirit the night before as calm and peaceful, even, as he and a few friends celebrate Ramadan together, reminiscing on the wonderful memories. The next morning Mohammed committed the murder of Theo Van Gough. On one of the most sacred days of the year for his faith, he chose to take the life of someone he targeted, all due to the fact he took Theo Van Gogh’s words against the Muslim community with absolute seriousness. During the last pages of the book, Buruma states a critical opinion, “Religion provides rules of behavior. It answers questions of moral right and wrong. It can offer people a sense of pride … Religion can also fuel hatred and become a source for political violence. Amsterdam, like any big city in Europe and beyond, is now linked, through a network of instant communication, to a global revolutionary movement based on extremist, and largely modern, interpretation of Islam” (In Memoriam, page 260). Not only did Bouyeri make his own life difficult, he also made the lives of many Muslim peoples life difficult. Bouyeri acted on his radical faith and, in turn, created a larger mess than before.