The Natrah religious riot rocked Singapore for three days beginning 11 Dec 1950, killing 18 people and injuring 173. The 13-year-old Dutch girl whose fate sparked the rioting is known to Christians as Maria Bertha Hertogh and to Muslims as Natrah (also spelled Nadra).
Heightened sentiments stemming from the Natrah court hearing were further aggravated by the newspaper war (English language versus Malay language paper). On Dec 5, the Singapore Standard published on its page 2 the headline ‘Bertha Knelt Before Virgin Mary Statue‘.
Helen Ang 