Non-Muslim Man Who Sneaked into Mecca Returns as a Convert

Visiting the holy land of Mecca is a dream for all Muslims. Every Hajj season, Mecca is visited by many people from various tribes, races, and religions. However, a unique story was experienced by a non-Muslim man named Snouck Hurgronje, who became a convert after sneaking into Mecca. The story began when the Saudi Arabian government established strict rules for every person arriving. These rules stipulated that non-Muslims were prohibited from entering Mecca. If anyone insisted, that person would be arrested. Despite this, some non-Muslims still dared to breach Mecca, as was done by a non-Muslim man named Snouck Hurgronje. Snouck Hurgronje was born into a devout Christian family. His father was a pastor in the Netherlands. However, from his teenage years, Snouck had a different attitude. He chose to become an atheist (other sources call him agnostic) and preferred studying Islam. Almost every day he was in the library reading much literature about the Islamic world. He also studied the language and culture of Islam. Unsurprisingly, he was quite fluent and very knowledgeable about Islam compared to other European youths. His interest in the Islamic world led him to write a study in 1880 at Leiden University, titled ‘Het Mekkaansche Feest’ (The Mecca Festival). According to Hamid Algadri in ‘Dutch Politics towards Islam and Arab Descendants in Indonesia’ (1988), the study was made without him ever visiting Mecca and was based solely on reading various sources. The desire of the man born on 8 February 1857 to come to Mecca was only fulfilled in December 1884. With funds from the Dutch government, he finally arrived in Saudi Arabia. He then stayed in Jeddah at a friend’s residence. In his memoirs, Snouck realised it was difficult to enter Mecca given his status as a non-Muslim, especially if he wanted to conduct research on Islam. So, he changed his persona, creating a new name from Snouck Hurgronje to Abdul Ghaffar. He also decided to convert to Islam. Around 1885, he recited the two declarations of faith (syahadat). However, the decision to change religion sparked debate. Wim Van Den Doel in ‘Snouck: Biography of the Scientist Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje’ (2023) noted that many people did not believe Snouck was sincere in embracing Islam. The reason was that he only needed Islam as an identity to easily enter Mecca. Moreover, some people considered the conversion was made so Snouck could discover the weaknesses of Islam. Regardless of the pros and cons, Snouck was eventually administratively recorded as a Muslim and fulfilled the obligation of an adult Muslim male, namely circumcision. On 21 February 1885, Snouck’s penis was cut by a circumciser. Later, the circumcision facilitated his journey to Mecca. Upon arriving in the Holy Land, Snouck was initially not allowed to enter by the Arab police. The police suspected he was non-Muslim because of his European physical appearance. However, it was also difficult to directly prove whether he was Muslim or not from his identity. The only way was to show a circumcised penis. As a result, Snouck lowered his trousers and showed his circumcised penis to the officer. From this, they believed that Snouck was a Muslim. Thus, he entered Mecca, making him the first European scientist to arrive in the Holy Land. During his time in Mecca, Snouck successfully disguised himself as a Muslim scientist. He collected much research material related to Islam, including performing Umrah. However, his presence in Mecca lasted only six months. He was expelled by the relevant authorities who received reports that he was impersonating, or falsifying his Muslim status, even though he had shown his circumcised penis. Despite this, Snouck still completed his research. He later became a special advisor to the Dutch government for studying the lives of Muslims in Indonesia. In the 1890s, he lived in Indonesian cities, from Aceh to Jakarta, to provide advice on ‘handling’ Indonesian Muslims.