The Spice Garden

In a remote corner of Indonesia’s fabled Spice Islands, Muslims and Christians have lived peacefully together for centuries. But for all their isolation and tranquility, the islanders are threatened by a gathering storm; as Indonesia is wracked by violent change, long-maintained religious harmony is unravelling and o­n nearby islands, Christians and Muslims fall upon o­ne another in horrific bouts of killing and forced conversions. The burden falls o­n a priest and a wealthy Muslim merchant to save the community from a cycle of violence that threatens the pillars of their respective faith and customs.

This tale, based o­n true accounts of the religious violence that has erupted in the Maluku archipelago since 1999, explores the motives and effects of Islamic militancy as it clashes with a strong Christian community in a new era of religious conflict that afflicts the world today.