Inside the silent nation of Brunei.

Pedro_P

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▼ Brunei has become the focus of global attention for its decision to impose harsh Islamic punishments for offences such as adultery and sodomy - but in the country itself there is silence, as the BBC's Jonathan Head reports.
At first glance you could be in Singapore. The roads are smooth and well maintained, the city carefully landscaped with plenty of trees and space for pedestrians.
Bandar Seri Bagawan - the capital city of Brunei - is safe, orderly and very quiet.
It is the conspicuous domes of the mosques, some dazzlingly gilded, the large signs in Arabic script and the prominent pictures showing the bearded figure of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah that tell you this is Brunei.
The country is one of the few absolute monarchies left in the world. The sultan has complete executive power, unconstrained by politicians or parliament.
He is concurrently Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister and the head of Islam in Brunei. His word is law.
Moving closer to religion
A British colony and then protectorate until 1984, at independence the sultan proclaimed the concept of a Malay Muslim monarchy.
This is instilled now in Bruneians as the national philosophy, and described by the government as "a blend of Malay language, culture and Malay customs, the teaching of Islamic laws and values and the monarchy system, which must be esteemed and practiced by all".
No room for dissent there, even though not all Bruneians are ethnic Malays and at 80% of the population the country has proportionally fewer Muslims than pluralistic Indonesia.
Since independence the sultan has pushed Brunei towards an ever-stricter observance of Islamic precepts.
Dominik Mueller is an expert on Islam in South East Asia at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle, Germany, and one of the very few academics to have studied Brunei closely.
"The sultan has increasingly turned to religion over the past three decades, especially since his first pilgrimage to Mecca in 1987. He has repeatedly stressed the obligation from Allah to introduce the Sharia penal code, and the blessings this would bring, in this world and the afterlife," he told the BBC.
"This mirrors the State Mufti's narrative. The influence of the Islamic bureaucracy cannot be overstated. Its leaders have long told the monarch and the public that Brunei must completely enforce God's law, as they interpret it."
Mr Mueller added that while the sultan "may have become personally convinced by this, he may also see the political need to ensure the continued support of the Islamic establishment, while heading off potential Islamic opposition that might question the monarchy's legitimacy."
Brunei has allowed no opposition and almost no independent civil society to exist since independence. It is still ruled under a state of emergency declared in 1962, which tightly restricts freedom of assembly and expression.
Media cannot report freely and those deemed to have infringed official limits can be shut down, as happened to the Brunei Times in 2016. There are several laws, notably the sweeping Sedition Law, which can be used against government critics.
That makes it difficult for visiting journalists. People are naturally hospitable and helpful. But we were unable to persuade anyone to speak on the record about the new Sharia penal code.
Most were too nervous even to meet a BBC team, however discreetly. The government did not respond to several requests for comment.
'Life is as normal as normal gets' (▪ ▪ ▪)

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warlikeprince

Religion is most potent intoxication. I heard that Sultan of Brunei is one of the most richest person in world. If anybody know about his lifestyle. Is it 100% according to Muslim Law. If not what right he has to put forward the Muslim Law???
By the way it's his country's matter and we can't interfere but just curiosity about Sultan's own behaviour...