Please pray for Christians in Brunei – World Watch List #27

BRUNEI (Wikipedia) – World Watch List #27 (Open Doors, UK)

Population: 413,000 (41,300 Christians)
Main Religion: Islam
Government: Constitutional Sultanate
Source of Persecution: Islamic extremism /tribal antagonism

Contact with Christians in other countries, the import of Bibles and the public celebration of Christmas are all banned in this Islamic nation. The monarchy is seen as the defender of the faith and Islamic law has been fully implemented since 2011. There is a programme of Islamisation for natives. Muslim-background believers can face hostility from family and community. The government recognises only three Catholic and three Anglican churches; unregistered churches are considered ‘illegal sects’ and are monitored by government officials.

PLEASE PRAY:

The level of fear among Christians is very high. Pray for courage to stand firm in the faith
Christian bookshops are not allowed. Pray that believers and seekers will gain access to God’s Word
The Sultan has announced that from 2013, Islamic religious studies will become a compulsory subject in schools. Pray that children will have the opportunity to hear the gospel.

PERSECUTION DYNAMICS:

Brunei is an Islamic nation, based on an ideology called Malay Muslim Monarchy. Islam governs all aspects of life here. By decree, contact with Christians in other countries, the import of Bibles and the public celebration of Christmas are all banned. There is a programme of Islamisation for locals, and those entering a tribal village are monitored by government spies and police. Family, friends and neighbours can become sources of hostility for Muslim-background believers.

The church is not able to function freely and churches are ‘spied on’ by government officials. Providing theological training is difficult and Christian bookshops are not allowed. The level of fear among Christians is very high. There are six Christian schools but they face pressure to remove Bible studies from the curriculum. Recently, the Sultan announced that from 2013 Islamic religious studies will become a compulsory subject in schools. As long as the ruling monarch perceives himself as defender of the faith and the governing authorities execute his will, the Christian minority will be neglected and discriminated against.

MORE BACKGROUND:

The Sultan of Brunei, (also known as Hassanai Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah) has an estimated net worth of $20 billion. — The Sultan of Brunei, (also known as Hassanai Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah) has an estimated net worth of $20 billion.

Brunei Darussalam, what means “Brunei, house of peace”, is a very small country on the Island of Borneo, bordering the much larger Malaysia. It is a young country as well, as it became fully independent from British rule in 1984, though its constitution was agreed on in 1959. Due to large oil and gas findings dating back as far as 1924, it is among the wealthiest nations on earth. In terms of GDP per capita, it ranks fifth worldwide and reportedly is one of only two nations without public debts.

Though Brunei is an ethnically mixed society with a large Chinese minority, approximately 2/3 of the population is Malay. The legislative council meets once a year in a strict advisory capacity, which means that politics are done largely by the Sultan and by the addresses he gives. As head of religion, the Sultan is called to protect the official religion of the country, Islam. All adherents of other religions may practice their faiths in peace and harmony, according to the constitution, but the country discourages practicing other faiths, and promotes Islam in all spheres of life. The recent announcements of the Sultan point to a stricter conservatism, as he introduced obligatory Islamic religious studies for all schools.

Please pray for believers in Brunei

September 10 | Brunei – The Good News of Jesus Christ is reaching the Bruneians through today’s technology. Some of them go to the extent of looking for Christians to talk about Jesus. Please pray for the Christian children in Brunei, to be ready to share their hope in Christ.

BRUNEI – officially the Nation of Brunei, “the Abode of Peace,” is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, and it is separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang. It is the only sovereign state completely on the island of Borneo, with the remainder of the island belonging to Malaysia and Indonesia. Brunei’s population was 401,890 in July 2011. (Wikipedia)

OIL RICH – Brunei has the second highest Human Development Index among the South East Asia nations after Singapore, and is classified as a developed country.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked 5th in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. The IMF also states in a 2011 estimate that Brunei was one of two countries (the other being Libya) with their public debt 0% of the national GDP. Forbes also ranks Brunei as the fifth richest nation out of 182 nations due to its extensive petroleum and natural gas fields. (Wikipedia)

CHRISTIANS represent approximately 10% of Bruneians however their activities are strictly limited:

Christianity is the religion of about 10% of the population of Brunei. Contact with Christians in other countries, the import of Bibles and public celebration of Christmas are banned by decree. Christians in Brunei are not allowed to proselytize. Schools are not allowed to teach Christianity. If religious organizations fail to register, its members can be imprisoned. Teaching of non-Muslim religions in schools is prohibited. Marriages between Christians and Muslims are prohibited. People, who change their religion from Islam to another, are subject to societal and official pressure. There was 0.6% Evangelicals in 1996. (Wikipedia)

OPEN DOORS – warns of the threat posed by Sharia Law:

About two-thirds of the people in this tiny Islamic nation are ethnic Malays. Although in theory all other religions may be practised in peace, in practice only non-Malays are allowed to choose their faith. If a Malay converts, this ‘disturbs peace and harmony’ and they are automatically scheduled for re-education to Islam. The monitoring of Christian meetings increased in 2011. In October the Sultan announced the introduction of an Islamic Criminal Law which will complicate the situation for the Christian minority further, especially those known to have converted.

Since most Christians in Brunei are either expatriots and migrants, the government’s strategy seems to be to isolate them from any religious interaction with the Malayan Muslim population.

“He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thes. 2:14)

Pray for the Brunei Church

April 4 | Brunei Even though there are only a few believers in Brunei, they do their best to practice the Christian faith in a strongly Islamic country. Many of them are underground believers and are in desperate need of church fellowship and discipleship. Please pray for them and ask the Lord for breakthroughs for His Word to reach them.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

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