Welcome to my website!
Jan Jaap de Ruiter (Dordrecht, 1959) studied Arabic language and literature at Utrecht University. As an Arabist and assistant professor, he was affiliated with Tilburg University (the Netherlands) from 1985 to 2025.
His core areas of expertise include:
- Arabic (language and culture)
- Islam (in Western Europe and the Netherlands)
- Morocco (and the Maghreb)
- Sociolinguistics of Arabic and Amazigh (Berber)
His specific research interests include:
- Islam in Dutch society
- The position of Muslim communities in Europe
- Identity formation in the Arab world
- Political ideologies and Islam (such as his analysis of the PVV)
- Far-right parties and Islam
- Translations of Arabic literature into Dutch
- Political and cultural developments in the Arab world
De Ruiter publishes his blogs on Substack (create a free account to read the blogs), covering the following categories:
- Blogs on current affairs
- Memoirs of an Arabist
- Developments within far-right parties
- Blogs in Arabic
- Blogs in Chinese
This website (see the menu bar in the top right corner) contains information regarding media appearances, publications, news, and past blogs.
Academic publications can be found on Academia and are available for free download.
You can also find De Ruiter on Facebook, X, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.
Furthermore, De Ruiter is a public figure who frequently participates in public debate on these topics through the media, as well as via blogs and columns.
Click here to get in touch with De Ruiter, or send an email to radjc5719@gmail.com.
Jan Jaap de Ruiter – the Arabist who is always right
