Karel Steenbrink

Born in Breda 16 Jan. 1942. Professor Emeritus Intercultural theology, Utrecht University.

Steenbrink wrote his doctoral dissertation 1974 about Islamic Education in Modern Indonesia. Between 1978-1988 he was the coordinator for the cooperation between Leiden University and the State Islamic Universities of Indonesia (now UIN). He taught in Jakarta and Yogyakarta between 1981-1988. From 1989 Steenbrink worked at Utrecht University, where he taught Islam, but also Christianity in Asia. He wrote three volumes on Catholics in Indonesia (Leiden: KITLV, 2003 and 2007, vol. 3 expected late 2014) and edited together with Jan Aritonang the 1004 pages classical History of Christianity in Indonesia (Leiden: Brill). But he is still active as well in Islamic Studies, especially courses in Qur’an. He wrote in Dutch a commentary on the short suras 79-114 (De Korte Hoofdstukken van de Koran), on the Jesus Verses of the Qur’an, and a commentary of Surat al-Baqarah.