In Southeast Asia, facing the South China Sea, the nation of Negara Brunei Darussalam – better known as Brunei, is wedged between the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah. Brunei was a British protectorate for almost one hundred years until independence in 1984.
Brunei became a Muslim nation in the 15th Century after the conversion of Sultan Awang Alak Betatar (Sultan Muhammad Shah). The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei is very rich in oil and the sultan is one of the world's richest men. The government collects no taxes, but provides health care, pensions, education, and, for those without the means, assistance in making the Hajj to Mecca.
Difficult for Christians
Islamic Shari'a law in Brunei supersedes civil law and it regulates all of life. The national constitution states, "The religion of Brunei Darussalam shall be the Muslim religion.” Life is difficult for Christians in Brunei. Some have lost their jobs without any notice. Christians seeking opportunities for higher education must leave the country to access universities. Evangelism is strictly forbidden and some local Christians have been arrested and detained for planning outreach to the population. Christian based (expatriate) schools must give instruction in Islam to all students and are not allowed to teach Christianity. Recently a foreign English teacher simply prayed for blessings on a Malay family during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations (at the end of Ramadan) was given 48 hours to leave the country.
A number of Brunei Malays have believed over the years, but the very strict, conservative Islamic environment in Brunei is hardly conducive to any Muslim-background believer being open about their commitment. Indonesian Christian broadcasting is easily heard and understood in Brunei. Christian literature for personal purposes (not resale or distribution quantities) can be carried in from neighbouring Malaysia. It is not possible to buy Bibles or Christian books in Brunei. Two recognised churches exist. Both are closely watched by police with spies in nearly every meeting.
Prayer Points (from those ministering to Brunei):
* Pray for expatriate brothers and sisters who are serving in Brunei. Their situation is very sensitive. May their lives provide an example of Christ to those within their circle of influence.
* Pray for the Church throughout Brunei, that Christians will be a light to those within their immediate community. May the congregations welcome the presence of God in their worship and prayers. May they offer encouragement to all local believers while the Lord helps them to build meaningful relationships for the sake of the Kingdom.
* Pray for a stirring in the hearts among the people. May Jesus reveal Himself through dreams and visions. May God work in ways that only he can do to draw the people to himself.
* Pray for the royal family and their influence at every level: the Sultan’s ‘second’ wife, Azrinaz Makar Hakim, from Malaysia; Crown Prince Billah and his wife, Sarah. [Acts 16:31] The parliament is beginning to meet again after being closed for 20 years.
Flag of Brunei
Map of Brunei
Background on Brunei (World Factbook)
The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in Asia.
Economics of Brunei
Brunei has a small well-to-do economy that encompasses a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for just over half of GDP and more than 90% of exports. The government provides for all medical services and free education through the university level and subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion.
Statistics for Brunei
Population: 401,890 (July 2011 est.). World rank #174
Life expectancy at birth: 76.17 years. World rank #75
Ethnic Groups: Malay 66.3%, Chinese 11.2%, indigenous 3.4%, other 19.1%
Religions: Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 10%
Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese
Literacy Rate: 92.7%
School life expectancy: 14 years
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A Brunei photo story.
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Looks like u dont have any other better things to do aside from making stupid-untrue stories from unknown resources.
1stly..would like to say Hi to u. I as a muslim in Brunei would like to tell the whole world who read your article that all these are untrue and basically come from a stupid mind of the writer who doesn't even know how is the life in Brunei is.
I went to a convent school for 8 yrs. CONVENT SCHOOL! do u know what is Convent? A place where the Nun stays. a Convent school which was run by a Priest and also 'Sister'. I even still remember Father Paul McLorey who was the principal for our Brotherhood school..and when ever i visited him, he would give me sweets. Isn't that kind of him to do so...to a muslim like me. If it is difficult for the christians to live here... how come we can be good friend like that.
And i have more Christians Friend then Muslim Friends. We never have any problems.
I guess the one who have the problem is u. u have problem with the muslims is it? So what's next after this stupid article? r u going to send nuclear bomb to brunei?
Get a life!!
Oh btw, if u wanna reply me, by all means, u can do it to my email address. Don't worry, my email address do exists.
Its so funny that you cannot accept criticism, yet you have the guts to write about something that you really dont know in the first place. Shame on you!
Wow... i dont know where to begin! first of all, the comments from the same IP adresses are probably from ppl who got really emotional, but the rush of comments is because we have spread this page to our friends in Brunei, so a lot of ppl are reacting now.
Your main thesis that "Christians face hardship in Brunei" is simply untrue. I am not saying this because I am a Bruneian and offended, I am saying this because it is a baseless statement.
Brunei adopts a Malay-Islamic-Monarchical philosophy because we choose to preserve the cultural and religious identity of native Malays, not to oppress other religions. People of other religions are free to practice their beliefs. However, only Islam is allowed to be spread out through outreach because it is the official and main religion in the country. My friends come from all sorts of cultures and religions, and some of my closest friends are Christians and Buddhist. They are not 'scared' to go to church or the temple.. nobody is going to handcuff you as soon as you go out the church. Nobody is going to search your house for bibles. People of all religions go through life peacefully and normally here. For crying out loud, Christmas and Chinese New Year are public holidays and celebrated by everyone.
Another thing I would like to touch on, is that you mentioned Christians need to go to universities in other countries and some Christians lose their jobs for no reason. Here's the thing. Not only Christians go overseas to attend universities. Everyone who wishes so and affords it (or obtains a scholarship) does so. And the national university, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) gives free tertiary education to citizens based on MERIT, NOT RELIGION. If someone had to pay tuition fees, its because they are not citizens hence not entitled the free education. If someone was not accepted into UBD, its because they do not meet minimum requirements, not because of their religion. But to say Christians cannot go to UBD is untrue. I honestly have Christian friends who are Bruneian citizens who had gone to UBD and had graduated, just like the rest of us.
And for those Christians who lost their job, tough, but they are not the only ones who lose jobs in the country or the world. People of other religions, even Muslims, can get laid off or find it difficult to find work. I can go to a predominantly non-Muslim country and say I cannot find work because I am a Muslim. But that is only my assumption, unless I have solid proof. When bitter (such as when laid off), people would believe what they want to believe. Do you see where I am going here?
Hmmm....only 2 churches in the country? are you sure? to the best of my knowledge, there are at least 3 churches in my district alone! There's one in my town centre, it looks big so I'm guessing that is one of the main ones. And there's another one in the next town over, where we had a memorial service for our late dear teacher who passed away in Sri Lanka during the Tsunami (she lived here for DECADES before leaving after retirement, and taught generations!). There is also an Anglican Church in that town. I am not sure if those are still in operation as i have not visited those places in ages. But really...are you sure there are only 2???
Anyways, I really don't think you are spreading untrue things about Brunei deliberately; I think you are just not well-informed enough, hence have caused such an outrage from people who are better informed. Like everyone else is saying, you should come to our Abode of Peace and see for yourself. Life is really great here. Seriously...life is difficult for Christians in Brunei? You should really switch to the news channels and see what Muslims are going through in Gaza...now thats difficult...
Lastly, I pray that Allah opens your heart and eyes to the truth, and may you join us in Islam.
C, ur late teacher who died in the Tsunami attack in Sri Lanka? If so, yes she was my teacher too. And she's a christian. Anglican Church in Seria, Yes ofcoz they are still operating. Same goes to the Church of Our Lady in Seria. Owh Dear writer, aren't you surprise that a muslim like me knows what's the name of the church here in Brunei? Aren't u surprise that we know 'Anglican' church?
Do u know who really have difficulties living in certain country? WE MUSLIMS!!!
If we go to Australia.. with our hijabs... do u think they will treat us well? HELL NO!!
Do u know how Muslims were treated in the Non-Muslim countries?? Are u blind? Haven't u read any newspapers since u were born? GO SURF THE NET AND FIND OUT HOW WE MUSLIMS ARE TREATED IN FRANCE, US, UK, AUSTRALIA etc.
I have a friend who went to Australia lately for her 1st time, she was wearing hiljabs and as soon as she came to the immigration in the Airports, they told her to remove all her things in her bag... they checked everything while other non-muslims passenger walk out just like that.
There were another case where a male friend of mine went to glasgow(spelling check),
for a military training, they told him to take all of his clothes, just because he is a Muslim.
BUT we in Brunei, would never do anything like that to humiliate other people. We muslims are tought to be kind and helpful not to just muslims but also other religion. We are tought to respect others. But others, like YOU, never respect us Muslims. Shame on u!!
omg... dude.. or dang....
who ever you are...
that's not even a true story.. -_-""
you're trying to give bad thoughts to the world.
man~~ do u even live in brunei?? -_-""
no right? so.. don't write untrue story.. -_-""
and 'ME' is right.. we never get fair treats from other countries.
some of the countries I mean..
man~~ shame on you~~~ -_-""
I got christian friends from Brunei sent overseas for studying by their government.
All of the untrue thoughts about Brunei you mentioned lead us to having such a peaceful life here i.e. low amount of crimes,etc.
Well... The writer has gone speechless now...
Pity tho'. He/She got no words to say anymore to go against us....
Welcome to the Muslim world... May Allah open your heart and Soul to be a devoted Muslim. Aminnnnn........
And stop writing nonesense articles...
Honestly, who are you to say all these things? Cause they are all lies. Yes, we are a proud muslim country but we do not look down on any other religions. I have bestfriends from other religions and they have never once complained about Brunei or the islamic beliefe. We dont mistreat people no matter what religion, race, culture, skin color, sex, age or whatever. So please, investigate more and look real deep into something before even saying a word. I hope one day, you'll see the real Brunei. And you'll look back, you realize all these things are utterly ridiculous.
ha ha ha ha ha, your trying to be funny is it, we Christian live peacefully here with our muslim friends. There is no discrimination going on or any of what you said. You are sad man. If you are in Brunei i think you need to get around more, if you are not from Brunei then i suggest you come here and see it for yourself. For your information religion here is always about respecting each other regardless of which religion, I don't think you know anything about our country. If you ever hear any of these nonesense you mention in your site from i don't know who, then i can say that it is all wrong. Trust me even if you reveal your real self (Which i will doubt) and come here in Brunei, nobody will care about you, why... if you want to know... because we Bruneian here respect everyone, and i mean everyone. If you say bad things about us, we will just laugh ha ha ha... We are not like what you said we are, and as a christian, i'm happy and very glad that i am here living in Brunei Darussalam. I will never trade here with anywhere else in the world
So my advice to you.... "Get your facts correct, and get a life" Thank you
seriously, may i know your intention writing this untrue story?? most of it are bulls***. Grow up dude!!
i'm still waiting for replies from the writer.
Yuhuuuuu Mr. Writer.... where are u? I gave a valid email but still haven't get any replies from u.
have u gone speechless? or u're thinking another bullshits? or... u're creating a nuclear bomb to send it to Brunei? are u?
hemmm... i must agree with most of the commentators here... ur statement on Brunei is so untrue... who said christians have faced harsdhip living in Brunei... some of my christian friends still able to continue their study in the local university.... and no! Bruneians are not racist....even if there is evidence saying so...it's only some like many people in other countries.... u come to Brunei then u know how peaceful Brunei is...we dont look down at other people for their different races...or religions... xcept that you have to respect Brunei is a muslim country... so of coz the law is based on shari-ah law.... do not compare Brunei with other muslim or developed country...
Difficult for ChristiansIslamic Shari’a law in Brunei supersedes civil law and it regulates all of life. The national constitution states, “The religion of Brunei Darussalam shall be the Muslim religion.” Life is difficult for Christians in Brunei. Some have lost their jobs without any notice. Christians seeking opportunities for higher education must leave the country to access universities. Evangelism is strictly forbidden and some local Christians have been arrested and detained for planning outreach to the population. Christian based (expatriate) schools must give instruction in Islam to all students and are not allowed to teach Christianity. Recently a foreign English teacher simply prayed for blessings on a Malay family during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations (at the end of Ramadan) was given 48 hours to leave the country.
A number of Brunei Malays have believed over the years, but the very strict, conservative Islamic environment in Brunei is hardly conducive to any Muslim-background believer being open about their commitment. Indonesian Christian broadcasting is easily heard and understood in Brunei. Christian literature for personal purposes (not resale or distribution quantities) can be carried in from neighbouring Malaysia. It is not possible to buy Bibles or Christian books in Brunei. Two recognised churches exist. Both are closely watched by police with spies in nearly every meeting
This is stupid fact... try to come to Brunei and feel it YOURSELF
Brunei may be a small country, but you should think twice before writing such an article that gives no proof on all your claims.
the writer is born truly a liar. liar liar liar! I HATE YOU for spreading untrue fact about my lovely country.
how come the writer haven't said anything yet?
See how you, Mr. Writer is being slapped back with the wholesome truth? See how Bruneian (muslim and non-muslim alike) are united to tell how wrong you are about that statement? We're never prejudiced about other people's way of life, we may disagree but yet we can't do everything much about it, people have their own free will. I don't care if there's any Christian in our country because they never seem to give me any racist problems, it's a peaceful country and I understand why they want to be here. It's full of BS when you said Christians are being kicked out of the country with whatever reason u told, we never even heard of it!
I never heard any Muslim said to a Christian something so racist, not in this country anyway. We live in harmony and I guess you're just so narrow-minded and you only get to be here just for a while to not notice much of how we live.
So next time when you want to criticize a country, criticize your own before you do to other countries
Excuse you~ Have u been to Brunei?! if u haven't, then U HAVE NO rights to accuse such a major lie. Who ever has been here would know that we live in Peace!
I think what needed to be clarified has been said so by the Bruneians community in here. Your article seemed to be based on hearsay with no proof what so ever to back-up your so-called "facts".
So I (and I'm sure other Bruneians in here) would like you to retract this article and put up a post to apologize about the false accusations you've made
Own up and say sorry. Be a man, if you're one that is.