ABSTRACT
The theological debate over the foundations of war and peace also occurred within Muslim communities. Pro-war Muslim jihadists justified their jihad struggle against Christians by citing particular verses from the Qur'an, the Hadith or prophetic traditions, and exegeses from certain religious scholars. Apart from the debate pertaining to the religious justification of war and peace, religious contribution to reconciliation in the Moluccas is undisputedly enormous. As a dominant religious group in Ambon, Protestants could and did fight against Muslims until the last minutes. However, Rev. Hendriks believed that there is no winner in warfare; as the Indonesian aphorism states: Menang jadi arang kalah jadi abu. The biggest challenge of establishing peace and reconciliation in Maluku before and after the signing the Malino II peace pact lay with the Muslim community. Bishop Mandagi's view of human purity as the basis of Catholic engagement in the Maluku peace and nonviolence movements was particularly interesting because in Catholic theology, humans are born sinful and impure.
