Brunei

A view of Islam that consumes everything

Converting away from Islam to Christianity is considered illegal and punishable by law. Known converts are not recognized as official citizens and can be legally separated from their spouse and children. Some Christian groups are not permitted as churches and must submit operational reports to the government every year. Strict Shariah law regulates all of society, including Christians.

How Christians are suffering

All churches, including registered ones, are monitored and restricted by the authorities. Non-traditional Christian communities cannot register as churches but must register as secular organizations. Conversion is considered illegal, and believers from Muslim backgrounds come under intense pressure to return to their original faith.

Examples

As conversion from Islam is strictly opposed by Bruneian laws, known converts to Christianity will be separated from their spouse and children, and their spouse will be forced to divorce their partner. If converts are identified as such by the security department, they are threatened, to make them recant their Christian faith.

Some Christians and members of other minority groups are not allowed official citizenship. This leads to a large group of stateless residents who are disadvantaged in many respects. Especially young people are leaving the country as they lack possibilities for the future. This affects churches as well, as potential next generation leadership is becoming scarce.

Population and number of Christian statistics: Johnson T M and Zurlo G A, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, accessed April 2019).