▁and ▁its ▁capital ▁is ▁Sof ifi ▁on ▁Hal ma h era ▁island . ▁Mal u ku ▁province ▁has ▁a ▁larger ▁Christian ▁population , ▁and ▁its ▁capital ▁is ▁Am bon . ▁Though ▁originally ▁Mel anes ian , ▁many ▁island ▁populations , ▁especially ▁in ▁the ▁Band a ▁Islands , ▁were ▁mass ac red ▁in ▁the ▁sevent e enth ▁century ▁during ▁the ▁Dutch – Port ug uese ▁War , ▁also ▁known ▁as ▁The ▁Sp ice ▁War . ▁A ▁second ▁infl ux ▁of ▁imm igr ants ▁primarily ▁from ▁Java ▁began ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁tw enti eth ▁century ▁under ▁the ▁Dutch ▁and ▁continues ▁in ▁the ▁Indones ian ▁era . ▁ ▁Between ▁ 1 9 9 9 ▁and ▁ 2 0 0 2 , ▁conflict ▁between ▁Muslim s ▁and ▁Christians ▁killed ▁thousands ▁and ▁disp la ced ▁half ▁a ▁million ▁people . ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁The ▁name ▁Mal u ku ▁is ▁thought ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁derived ▁from ▁the ▁term ▁used ▁by ▁Arab ▁trad ers ▁for ▁the ▁region , ▁J az irat ▁al - M ul uk ▁(" the ▁island ▁of ▁the ▁k ings "), ▁from ▁the ▁word ▁mal ik ▁( pl . ▁mol uk ). ▁However , ▁since ▁the ▁name ▁itself ▁has ▁been ▁mentioned ▁in ▁a ▁four teenth - century ▁Maj ap ah it ▁e ul ogy , ▁Nag ar ak ret ag ama , ▁that ▁pred ates ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁Islam ▁in ▁Mal u ku ▁at ▁the ▁late ▁fif teenth ▁century , ▁other ▁sources ▁claim ▁that ▁the ▁name ▁comes ▁from ▁a ▁local ▁language ▁with ▁the ▁meaning ▁" the