Her Eurasian origins enabled Dé-Lilah to visit places that European tourists did not readily travel to. One example is the ‘holy’ mountain Godok (Makam Godog) near Garut, the burial site of Prabu Kian Santang, who reportedly played a major role in the dissemination of Islam in Java. Klausine very much wanted to see his shrine, which, she says, was forbidden for kafirs. In order to be allowed entry, Klausine disguised herself – like a female Snouck Hurgronje – as a Muslim woman. Klausine’s non-white complexion presumably contributed to her being recognised by the Javanese guards as a ‘Mohammedan’. She let herself be carried up the mountain in a sedan chair. Despite her fear of Islam, Klausine passed herself off as a pilgrim. A pious Muslim sporting a white beard and a turban accompanied her. To make sure he would not catch her out, Klausine did exactly as he did: when he knelt, she did likewise, and when he mumbled some prayers, she moved her lips as well. This is how she achieved her goal.
A European Woman in Front of a Mosque, presumably in West Java, around 1914. [KITLV 172522]