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Islam is Brunei's official religion, 82.70 percent of the population is Muslim,[1] mostly Sunnis of Malay, Arab and Indian origin who follow the Shafi'i school (76%) Hanafi and Maliki school (6%) of jurisprudence.[citation needed] Most of the other Muslim groups are Malay Kedayans (converts from indigenous tribal groups), local Chinese and Dayak Iban converts. Islam was introduced to Brunei by traders arriving from Persia, Arabia, China and the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, other religions can be practiced freely.
The official religion of Brunei is Sunni Islam, and the propagation of modernist ideologies such as Wahhabism is forbidden. With the noteworthy exception of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III's tomb, which has been turned into a pilgrimage destination during Ramadan, Brunei Malay Muslims do not often revere saints or holy tombs, unlike in many other Muslim societies. Brunei's pre-Islamic ancestor worship customs had an impact on the custom of visiting cemeteries during Ramadan to purify and offer prayers for the deceased.[2]
- ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ Riggs 2005, p. 230.