This article examines how the Muslim community in Moluccas, Indonesia manages the frontstage and backstage impressions displayed after participating in a cross-religious ritual with the Christian community. The ritual, held at the Immanuel Church of the GPM Amahusu Klasis, involved the Muslim communities of Tial Village and Laha Village, as well as the Christian communities of Amahusu Village and Hatalai Village. The ritual incorporated religious symbols such as the call to prayer, recitation of the Rawi Barzaji, lighting of candles, and singing of hymns. The study found that the Muslim community manages impressions through self-repentance, supplication to Allah, and mutual acceptance with the Christian community. After the ritual, the Muslim community engages in frontstage interactions with fellow Muslims, non-involved families and communities, religious organizations, and government institutions. Backstage actions include self-introspection, repentance, and prayer. The article contributes to understanding the subjective experiences of Muslim communities following ritual involvement and suggests that Muslim-Christian communities can overcome disharmony through mutual acceptance of religious differences and promoting peace through contemporary human values.
- The study examines how the Muslim community in Moluccas, Indonesia manages frontstage and backstage impressions after participating in a cross-religious ritual with the Christian community.
- The ritual, held at the Immanuel Church, involved Muslim communities from Tial Village and Laha Village, as well as Christian communities from Amahusu Village and Hatalai Village.
- The ritual incorporated religious symbols such as the call to prayer, recitation of the Rawi Barzaji, lighting of candles, and singing of hymns.
- The Muslim community manages impressions through self-repentance, supplication to Allah, and mutual acceptance with the Christian community.
- After the ritual, the Muslim community engages in frontstage interactions with fellow Muslims, non-involved families and communities, religious organizations, and government institutions.
After the involvement, the Muslim community performs frontstage actions when socially interacting with fellow participants, their families, non-involved community members, religious organisations, and government institutions. These actions create awareness of regret, a commitment not to repeat the involvement, and address humiliation, harassment, ostracisation, and stigmatisation due to the deviation from the order of pela gandong values. It triggers polemics among Muslims, causing discomfort in the disharmonised relationship between the Muslim and Christian communities.
The involvement of the Muslim community, analysed through a dramaturgical perspective, has been helpful in exploring interactions in the surrounding environment. This approach helps manage verbal and nonverbal impressions of frontstage acceptance by neutralising through awareness of regret, pleading, and side-by-side efforts to transform self-identity better, overcoming cross-religious disharmony as a backstage process.
The researcher suggests that religious organisations and government agencies play a role in fostering, safeguarding and protecting the Muslim-Christian community of pela gandong, so that rituals like this do not recur in the future. There are no differences in social context as a social contract, enabling the Muslim-Christian community to live together peacefully and cooperate in a societal context.
Moreover, many other aspects can continue this research, such as using Machiavellian perspectives. For example, "What is the role of the local government in implementing Muslim-Christian community rituals at Immanuel Church of GPM Amahusu Klasis"? This research question will show political symbolism for the government that has successfully used local wisdom as a medium for peace. The government believes involving Muslim-Christian community rituals (voluntary or not) will be effective in peacebuilding or conflict resolution.