COMMUNITY- BRUNEI
BRUNEIAN CULTURE
Located by in Southern Asia, Brunei shares a deep cultural history with its closest neighbor, Malaysia, and influences from Indonesia, China, and India.
Brunei’s government is an absolute monarchy, governed by a sultan. The Sultan comes from a family line that dates back to the year 1405.
Brunei is the only remaining Malay Islamic Monarchy in the world.
Islam, the most widely practiced religion, is the official religion of Brunei.
Muslims must pray five times a day – at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. Friday is the Muslim holy day. Everything is closed. Many companies as well as government offices also close on Sunday and Saturday afternoon.
The Sultan encourages the recital of the Quran each morning prior to the start of work to obtain Allah’s blessing and guidance.
Bruneians allows other faiths and beliefs and religious freedom is protected by the national law.
Brunei’s society is based on a hierarchical structure where age and familial position are revered.
The extended family is the focal point of the Bruneian social structure. Members are expected to remain loyal to each other and the family.
Children are taught to place the good of the entire family above personal desire and to respect their elders without question.
The role of face (and the balance of shame and honor) is crucial to Bruneians.
Maintaining face is of upmost importance in social situations. Because of this, Bruneian avoid causing issues or problems and are generally considered to be very polite and well-mannered.
Emotions, such as impatience, anger, or irritation, are considered embarrassing. Most Bruneian try to avoid expressing them in public to avoid a loss of face.