Betsy Udink is a Dutch journalist and author whose career has been strongly shaped by long-term engagement with the Middle East and the Islamic world.
Udink began her career as a journalist at a local newspaper in the 1970s and quickly developed a focus on international reporting. She worked as a correspondent and reporter in major cities including Cairo, New York, Damascus, Beirut, and Brussels.
Her reporting appeared in leading Dutch newspapers and magazines such as NRC Handelsblad, de Volkskrant, Het Parool, Vrij Nederland, and Trouw.
From early on, she built a reputation as a journalist with deep regional knowledge, especially of political and social developments in the Middle East.
A defining feature of Udink’s career is her long-term immersion in Islamic countries—she spent roughly three decades living in or closely connected to the region.
Her experiences included time in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq. She reported on conflicts, political movements, and everyday life, often combining firsthand observation with critical analysis. Her work reflects both journalistic reporting and personal involvement—for example, she lived in Saudi Arabia as the spouse of a Dutch diplomat, which gave her unique access to social realities there.
