| Christianity by country |
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Christianity in Brunei is the second largest religion practiced by about 8.7% of the population as of 2022. [1] Other reports suggest that this number may be as high as 12%. [2]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 18,767 | — |
| 1991 | 25,994 | +38.5% |
| 2001 | 31,291 | +20.4% |
| 2011 | 34,176 | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 29,510 | −13.7% |
| Source: Bruneian Department of Statistics [3] | ||
Contact with Christians in other countries, the import of Bibles and public celebration of Christmas are banned by decree. [4] Christians in Brunei are not allowed to proselytise. [5] Schools are not allowed to teach Christianity. [5] If religious organisations fail to register, its members can be imprisoned. [5] Teaching of non-Muslim religions in schools is prohibited. [5] Marriages between Christians and Muslims are prohibited. [5] Brunei is the latest Muslim country to enact a law that makes apostasy a crime punishable with death. In 2013, it enacted Syariah (Sharia’a) Penal Code. Section 112(1) of the new law states that a Muslim who declares himself non-Muslim commits a crime punishable with death, or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding thirty years, depending on evidence. [6] Under the required wait period between notification of law and its validity under Brunei’s constitution, its new apostasy law and corporal punishment were to be applied starting October 2014, and capital punishment was to be imposed starting October 2015. [7]
In 2015, following up on a 2014 ban on celebrations that could lead Muslims astray or damage their faith, the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah banned public Christmas celebrations. Private celebrations are permitted to continue, so long as they are kept secret from Muslims. [8]
In 2023, Freedom House rates the country's religious freedom as 1 out of 4. [9]
In 1996 Protestants made up 1.3% of the population of Brunei, 0.6% Evangelical. [10]
In 2010 Protestants made up 4.4% of the population of Brunei. [11]
In 2020, they made up 3% of the population. [12]
There are three Roman Catholic parishes in Brunei. [14] They belong to the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam. The cardinal Cornelius Sim was the first bishop and the Vicar Apostolic of Brunei until his death in May 2021. He was ordained bishop in 2005 and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2020.
Apostasy is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous religious beliefs. One who undertakes apostasy is known as an apostate. Undertaking apostasy is called apostatizing. The term apostasy is used by sociologists to mean the renunciation and criticism of, or opposition to, a person's former religion, in a technical sense, with no pejorative connotation.
The 2019 transitional constitution of Sudan guarantees freedom of religion and omits reference to sharia as a source of law, unlike the 2005 constitution of Sudan's deposed president Omar al-Bashir whose government had criminalized apostasy and blasphemy against Islam. Bashir's government had also targeted Shia Muslims and those engaging in proselytization to faiths other than Islam. Christians had also faced restrictions in matters of religious freedom.
While freedom of religion is de jure symbolically enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution, it de facto faces many prohibitions and restrictions. A Malay in Malaysia must strictly be a Muslim, and they cannot convert to another religion. Islamic religious practices are determined by official Sharia law, and Muslims can be fined by the state for not fasting or refusing to pray. The country does not consider itself a secular state and that Islam is the state religion of the country, and individuals with no religious affiliation are viewed with hostility.
Religious discrimination is treating a person or group differently because of the particular beliefs which they hold about a religion. This includes instances when adherents of different religions, denominations or non-religions are treated unequally due to their particular beliefs, either by the law or in institutional settings, such as employment or housing.
Christianity is a minority religion in Malaysia. In the 2020 census, 9.1% of the Malaysian population identified themselves as Christians. About two-thirds of Malaysia's Christian population lives in East Malaysia, in the states of Sabah and Sarawak. Adherents of Christianity represent majority (50.1%) of the population in Sarawak, which is Malaysia's largest state by land area. Christianity belief is one of four major religion other than Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism that has a freedom protected by the law in Malaysia based of diversity law especially in East Malaysia.
Catholicism in Saudi Arabia is officially barred from being practised, though Catholics are allowed into the country for temporary work. There is a large expatriate Filipino community in Saudi Arabia, many of whom are thought to be Catholics. There are no dioceses in Saudi Arabia, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia.
Christianity has a long history in the region that is now Sudan and South Sudan. Ancient Nubia was reached by Coptic Christianity by the 1st century.
Christianity is a minority religion in Tajikistan.
Protestants are about 2,009,374 in Sudan. They are forbidden to proselytize. The law makes apostasy punishable by death. The southern ethnic groups fighting the civil war largely are followers of traditional indigenous religions or Christians.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Brunei face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female expressions of homosexuality are illegal in Brunei. Sexual activity between men is de jure liable to capital punishment, with de facto lesser penalties of imprisonment and whipping applied; sex between women is punishable by caning or imprisonment. The sultanate applied a moratorium on the death penalty in 2019, which was still in effect as at May 2023. The moratorium could be revoked at any time.
Christianity is the largest religion in Uruguay, with Catholics having the most adherents, but around 44.5% of the population is non-religious as of 2021. Church and state are officially separated since 1916.
The constitution of Brunei states that while the official religion is the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam, all other religions may be practiced "in peace and harmony." Apostasy and blasphemy are legally punishable by corporal and capital punishment, including stoning to death, amputation of hands or feet, or caning. Only caning has been used since 1957.
The Constitution provides for the freedom to practice the rights of one's religion and faith in accordance with the customs that are observed in the kingdom, unless they violate public order or morality. The state religion is Islam. The Government prohibits conversion from Islam and proselytization of Muslims.
The Constitution of Kuwait provides for religious freedom. The constitution of Kuwait provides for absolute freedom of belief and for freedom of religious practice. The constitution stated that Islam is the state religion and that Sharia is a source of legislation. In general, citizens were open and tolerant of other religious groups. Regional events contributed to increased sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shia.
In Qatar, the Constitution, as well as certain laws, provide for freedom of association, public assembly, and worship in accordance with the requirements of public order and morality. Notwithstanding this, the law prohibits proselytizing by non-Muslims and places some restrictions on public worship. Islam is the state religion.
Protestantism is a minority faith but the more fervent with front in overwhelmingly Muslim Saudi Arabia.
Religion in the Bahamas is dominated by various Christian denominations and reflects the country's diversity.
The predominant religion in Honduras is Christianity, with Catholicism and Evangelicalism being its main denominations. The country is secular and the freedom of religion is enshrined in the nation's constitution.
Capital punishment for offenses is allowed by law in some countries. Such offenses include adultery, apostasy, blasphemy, corruption, drug trafficking, espionage, fraud, homosexuality and sodomy, perjury, prostitution, sorcery and witchcraft, theft, and treason.
The situation for apostates from Islam varies markedly between Muslim-minority and Muslim-majority regions. In Muslim-minority countries, "any violence against those who abandon Islam is already illegal". But in some Muslim-majority countries, religious violence is "institutionalised", and "hundreds and thousands of closet apostates" live in fear of violence and are compelled to live lives of "extreme duplicity and mental stress."
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