Brunei is one of the richest states in Asia, and its king is considered the world's wealthiest man, with oil as the sole source of this wealth. The 1959 constitution called for a monarchy with five advisory councils, but in 1962 the Sultan assumed emergency powers during a rebellion, and hasn't relinquished them since. He installed relatives as advisors and declared Brunei an Islamic state.

The official religion is the Shafeite sect of Islam and, though the constitution guarantees freedom of religious practice, the government restricts religious freedom for non-Muslims, even though more than ten percent of the population is Christian. These restrictions include prohibiting conversion, banning Christian literature and any import of Bibles, outlawing the celebration of Christmas, and routinely ignoring requests to build of expand religious buildings. Religious symbols are routinely censored in magazines arriving in the country.

Little current information is available on religious persecution in Brunei.  Non-Muslims who proselytize have, in the past, been arrested and detained without charges.  In late 2000 and early 2001, seven Christians were detained for allegedly subversive activities.  The last of those seven was released in October 2001.

• Pray that Christians will be able to reach out to their friends and neighbours with the love of Christ, despite the restrictions.
• Pray that restrictions will ease and that the constitutional freedoms will be enforced.