Religion & Society

 The Islamic Sultanate of Brunei is the wealthiest nation per capita in Southeast Asia and one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Its rich oil reserves, expected to run out in less than 20 years, have enabled it to become highly industrialised and developed. Yet in spite of those trappings of modernity, it remains an absolute monarchy under Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Since gaining independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984, it is slowly becoming one of the least-enlightened former British colonies, principally in terms of one feature: its increasing embrace of Sharia law. On 1 May 2014, Sharia law was enacted, to be implemented in stages in following years (Brunei:The Sharia Surprise, en, June 2014). Initially, offences were punishable by fines or imprisonment, but in April 2019 the complete Sharia criminal code came into effect, to the consternation of liberally-minded Bruneian Muslims. However, Sharia law encompasses much more then criminal codes. It is in the area...

     The Muslim communities of Southeast Asia have long been regarded as among the more moderate of the Islamic world. The world’s largest Muslim nation, Indonesia sits alongside the smaller but dynamic Muslim communities of Malaysia and Brunei, as well as the sizeable Muslim minorities in Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Together these nations are home to around 250 million Muslims.      The region has been largely spared from the tormented conflicts of the Arab world. But the temperature is rising in Muslim Southeast Asia, with increasingly bitter debates and, at times, violent conflicts between competing factions of Muslims. One of the key bones of contention relates to an increasing push for the implementation of aspects of Sharia law. Brunei      On May 1, 2014, the Sultan of Brunei enacted Sharia legal codes in his kingdom, one of the wealthiest countries in the world with its vast oil reserves. This step was taken i...