Hamdoelilah meester

Dirk Wanrooij received a grant to write Hamdoelilah meester. In 2021, Dirk began teaching as a lateral entrant at an Islamic primary school in Amsterdam-Zuid. With a background in Arabic studies and experience as a former journalist in the Arab world, he was introduced to Islamic education through an intermediary agency. Initially hesitant, he agreed out of curiosity. Hamdoelillah meester recounts his experiences, offering a multifaceted view of daily life in a school serving a Dutch minority, the social position of Islamic education, the role and history of Islam in the Netherlands, and the struggle to establish a coherent Dutch Islamic identity. Simultaneously, the book addresses the non-Islamic majority and examines how Muslims and other minorities are perceived in the Netherlands.

Dirk was born in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, and grew up in a village in Twente and in Pakistan. He studied Dutch, history, and Arabic at the University of Amsterdam. From 2009 to 2016, he lived in Cairo, Egypt. His books Oproer(2015) and Het huis in de Wolken (2023) were nominated for the Brusseprijs. Het huis in de Wolken was also nominated for the Amarte Literature Prize.