New Dutch Commissioner of Religion: Diplomat Ten Tusscher appointed

That is reported by a spokesperson of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bea ten Tusscher (62) will succeed Jos Douma in September. Douma became the first Commissioner of Religion in the Netherlands in 2019. The position was created to protect religious freedom worldwide. It was an initiative of the Christian parties in the Dutch Parliament.

The new commissioner has built up much experience within the Dutch diplomatic world. After her study Swedish at Groningen University, she worked in several positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1986.

Ten Tusscher served as an ambassador in Guatemala, Bangladesh, Norway and most recently in Bulgaria (2017-2021). From 2009 to 2021, she was the head of the department of Human Rights, Gender, Good Governance and Humanitarian Aid.

"In my career, I have built up much experience in protecting human rights", Ten Tusscher explains her decision in a short written response. "I want to contribute, together with Dutch and international partners, to freedom of religion and conviction for everyone, without fear or discrimination."

Much work to do

There is much work to do, Ten Tusscher realises. She wants to draw special attention to young people. "There are still countries in the world where you can get the death penalty for apostasy or blasphemy."

The diplomat notes that 82 per cent of the world's population sees themselves as religious. During her career, she noticed that many people found "inspiration and support" in their religion. "The relevance of religion for society and politics, in diplomacy and development is often bigger than we think in our relatively secular Europe."

This article was translated by CNE.news and published by the Dutch daily Reformatorisch Dagblad on August 19