The Analysis of Natrah @ Maria Huberdina Hertogh Background and Marriage Issues by The Straits Times, 1950

The story of Natrah @ Maria Huberdina Hertogh was a significant event in Singapore at the end of 1950. Natrah was part of a tragedy that offended the feelings and sensitivity of the Muslims when the court granted custody to Natrah’s biological parents from the Netherlands. The report published by The Straits Times had caused the Natrah Riot that led to several deaths among the Muslim Malays. The Straits Times had its interest in every article which was written about Natrah. Hence, this article investigates the extent of The Straits Times involvement in publishing daily issues about Natrah background and marriage issues, which have not been highlighted by other researchers. An in-depth study of the sensationalised discourse about Natrah by this newspaper would be presented in this paper. In the beginning, The Straits Times seemed to focus on Natrah’s background, which aimed to introduce Natrah to the public especially pro-Western readers. The sensationalisation of the issue reached its peak when the article reported Natrah’s marriage which was an attempt to instigate and provide a lopsided view on Islam and the Malays. The Straits Times continues to publish prejudiced reports as the proceeding on Natrah’s custody was ongoing and the readers’ sentiment. Several perceptions touched on religious sentiments, but these issues are not the focus of this discussion since many have discussed it earlier. Nevertheless, it is found that this newspaper attempted to highlight the story of Natrah through background and marriage issues as a strategy to attract the reader's attention. Keywords: Natrah, Maria Huberdina Hertogh, The Straits Times, Islam, Malaya.