ABSTRACT
This chapter is a case study on an exhibition. It is demonstrated how the museum staff paid attention to religion in such a way that it entered the religious sphere. The aim of their project was to promote civic engagement by stimulating interest for each other’s religion. One of the backgrounds was the public concern with Islam after 9/11, the subsequent rise of anti-Islam politician Pim Fortuyn and the endangered position of Dutch Member of Parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali after the critical film Submission, which he authored, had appeared on television. Another background was the interest for multiple religious belonging. Political and personal motives met when the exhibition took place in the local museum of Zoetermeer, a multicultural suburb of The Hague: king-size photos of various believers and non-believers, with their favorite objects, were displayed accompanied by a quote from an interview they had given. The project also included meetings within the museum about religious traditions and existential themes. The museum, perceived as religiously neutral, provided the context for faith talks. This project gained profile in the tense political climate after the assassination of Theo van Gogh (November 2, 2014), inspired by Salafi-jihadism – van Gogh being the director and producer of Submission. Careful management of the boundaries between religion, culture, and politics was required.
