Pieter Henricus van der Hoog

Life & Legacy

Pieter Henricus van der Hoog (17 August 1888 – 16 April 1957), also known after converting to Islam as Mohammed Abdul-Ali, was a Dutch bacteriologist, dermatologist, and Islamicist. Born in The Hague, Van der Hoog was pressured by his father to enter the Dutch military, for which he served as a doctor. During his time with the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in the Dutch East Indies from 1913 through 1921, he practised in several areas but was censured and arrested. Returning to the Netherlands, he earned a doctoral degree from the University of Leiden in 1922. After some time practising medicine in the Netherlands, in 1926 he was sent to Curaçao; he was ultimately blacklisted by the Ministry of the Colonies for his continued attacks on the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles.
In 1928, Van der Hoog was invited to lead a team of Egyptian and Syrian doctors in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He proved popular in the position, despite the hardships, though this was undermined by his sudden conversion to Islam. After being refused entry to Mecca by King Ibn Saud and falling ill, Van der Hoog returned to the Netherlands. Two years later, having learned Arabic and memorized parts of the Qur'an, Van der Hoog received permission to undertake the hajj pilgrimage. Upon returning to the Netherlands, he wrote about his experiences in the 1935 travelogue Pelgrims naar Mekka (Pilgrims in Mecca) and delivered a series of lectures on Islam. Van der Hoog continued to practice in the Netherlands; he also established the Dr. van der Hoog brand of cosmetics.