About the size of Delaware, Brunei is an independent sultanate on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo in the South China Sea, wedged between the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Brunei was trading with China during the 6th century, and, through allegiance to the Javanese Majapahit kingdom 13th to 15th century , it came under Hindu influence. In the early 15th century, with the decline of the Majapahit kingdom and widespread conversion to Islam, Brunei became an independent sultanate.
It was a powerful state from the 16th to the 19th century, ruling over the northern part of Borneo and adjacent island chains. But Brunei fell into decay and lost Sarawak in , becoming a British protectorate in and a British dependency in The sultan regained control over internal affairs in , but Britain retained responsibility for the state's defense and foreign affairs until , when the sultanate became fully independent.
Sultan Bolkiah was crowned in at the age of 22, succeeding his father, Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin, who had abdicated. During his reign, exploitation of the rich Seria oilfield had made the sultanate wealthy. Brunei has one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia, and the sultan is believed to be one of the richest men in the world. In Aug. Sultan Bolkiah began taking cautious steps toward democratic reform in Sept.
He was widely praised in May when he fired four members of his cabinet, including the education minister, whose plan to expand religious education angered many parents. In Oct. Death by stoning for adulterers and gay sex and the amputation of limbs for theft were two examples of punishments that could be meted out at the discretion of the country's judges.
Non-Muslims would also be subjected to some of the laws. His decree was met with outrage by human-rights activists. The first phase of the law was put into place in May Turn on more accessible mode.
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To navigate through the Ribbon, use standard browser navigation keys. To activate a command, use Enter. In Brunei became the first East Asian country to adopt strict Islamic Sharia law which allows punishment such as stoning for adultery and amputation for theft. The code prescribes death by stoning for adultery and gay sex in certain circumstances.
In the wake of international condemnation, the Sultan said that a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty would be applied as it had been for more than two decades in common law cases. The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, is one of the world's longest-reigning and few remaining absolute monarchs.
Upon Brunei's independence in , he appointed himself prime minister and in , introduced an ideology called Malay Muslim Monarchy, which presented the monarch as the defender of the faith. He is one of the world's richest individuals and in a country where the standard of living is high, appears to enjoy genuine popularity amongst his subjects. More recently however, he has faced criticism over the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in the country. Brunei's media are neither diverse nor free.
The private press is either owned or controlled by the royal family.
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