III of X: Beyond the Religious Conflicts of North Maluku
© Jennie S. Bev
The mass civilian killings of North Maluku have began to subside with the increasingly forceful action taken by the government through the military. The dilemmas, which haunt the people of North Maluku, which are far more tangible than the superficiality of the conflict between two religious groups, however, remain untouched and unsolved.
The history of the fierce resistance and rebellion of the people of Northern Maluku against external values is inextricably bound to the development, prosperity, and later the deterioration of its sultanates. The sultanate dominion system in Northern Maluku emerged in the 13th century led by Sultan Cico a.k.a. Masyur Malamo (1257-1277). Until now, there are 4 sultanates in the northern region of the Maluku province: Ternate; Tidore; Bacan and Jailolo sultanates. All four sultans, who ruled one sultanate each, are brothers, the youngest being the Sultan of Ternate. The official religion of the four sultanates is Moslem, also being the dominant religion in the region.
Each sultanate is a member of the sultanate confederation, called the Moloku Kieraha, which was established as a unity of the culturally divers sultanates by the "Moti Confederation" in 1322. Within the first 3 centuries of its establishment, the Ternate Sultanate ruled the hegemony in North Maluku. The other sultanates: Jailolo, Tidore, and Bacan, dwelled under the umbrella of the Ternate sultanate.
Ternate sultanate was recorded as the most brilliant maritime nation in North Maluku in the 16th century, during the ruling of Sultan Harun alias Jamil (1570-1583). The golden years of the sultanate were reached under the reign of Sultan Baabullah (1570-1583). This sultan is the most famous of those ruled over North Maluku, hence the immortalisation of his name as that of the airport of Ternate. The influence of Ternate sultanate encompasses West Seram, the islands of Hitu, Buru, Buton and those of the Hoa Moal peninsula, which together form the center of clove production in the Indonesian archipelago.
Since the 16th century, sultanates in North Maluku -led by the Ternate Sultanate-entered a new historical chapter: the nationality struggle against domination of the West, which was an expression of patriotism strongly, tied with Islamic allegiance and solidarity. This new chapter emerged as a resistance against the Spanish and Portuguese attempts to dominate the sources of spices, especially clove and nutmeg. The Portuguese also set out to spread the Gospel through Northern Maluku. The first Theology School in South East Asia was established in Ternate, inside the Santa Paolo fortress, a clear indication of such effort. Spreading the Gospel also involved compulsion and violence. Portuguese missionaries received the endorsement of full capacity armories.
In 1535, Portugal made a colossal scenario: to Christianize the Sultan of Ternate, Sultan Tabiriji, which was meant to ensure
