Bandar Seri Begawan - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Not really. Brunei has a lot of stateless Chinese people here, but they are doing ok. Religious minorities are fine too. Brunei is pretty tolerant, although the government does spy on the churches to ensure there are no messages against Islam. Women are tested as equals. - Jan 2021
Yes. The implementation of Sharia law has started to put a wedge between Muslims and non-Muslims, which is a sad change for moderate Brunei which used to be very open and supportive of its entire community. - Aug 2014
Yes - the government definitely promotes its Muslim Malay Monarchy system, and the attitude in the country has become increasingly conservative in many aspects. There is also significant preferential treatment for Muslim Malays over other ethnicities. If you're a Caucasian Westerner, racism/prejudice isn't as much of a problem, but otherwise expect to encounter issues. If you're a woman, also expect to encounter a lot of gender issues. - Nov 2013
No. - Dec 2008
None that we've seen. Bruneians seem to treat non-Bruneians as inferiors. With subtlety but that reflects much of Asia too. - Jan 2008
