A reflection of the peaceful life between Muslims and Christians in Desa Kertajaya: an analytical study from Qur’anic and Biblical perspectives

Living in peace is, perhaps, a term or a situation that every community in the world has longed for. Living in peace may mean living a harmonious life, being secure and prosperous, and loving one another in a community. In many cultures, people can find the concept of peace in language, worldview, art, and other ways. However, the owners of these cultures forget that they have that notion in their lives. Thus, in many conflict issues, people within a particular culture often seek a third party to be a mediator. In this article, the researcher describes a case study of a peaceful life in a village in West Java, Indonesia, named Desa Kertajaya. The researcher observed that some aspects supporting the harmonious life in Desa Kertajaya bear similarity with the facets of peace found in either the Qur’ān, the Bible, or the Sundanese culture. The researcher collected the data for this study through participant observation and two types of interviews - semi-structured and unstructured. The researcher used the data to develop some themes and analysed the relationship between the themes that involved thirteen Sundanese from Desa Kertajaya. The semi-structured interview included five questions that serve as a guide. In the community of Desa Kertajaya, where Muslims and Christians coexist, the concepts of peace from both Qur'ānic and Biblical perspectives can be applied together. However, the peaceful life in this village seems to be more influenced by Sundanese culture, although there are some interrelated aspects of harmony from the Qur’ān and the Bible.