Christians in Brunei are not often heard of. Only 12 percent of the approximately 445,000 people in this Southeast Asian country are Christians. Many believers find it extremely difficult to live openly as a Christian because it easily exposes them to surveillance.
The risks of segregation are particularly relevant to young people in places like universities. In this Muslim country, Christian students are sometimes the only believers in their school. Many people find it difficult to get to know their Muslim peers if they do not adapt to their customs and lifestyle.
Lina* gives us a rare insight into what it’s like to be a young, Jesus-believing university student in Brunei. At the same time, it becomes clear why it is so important to pray for our brothers and sisters in Brunei.
“Leave this book at home”
Lina remembers being scared when her friends cornered her and yelled at her. She was in the hostel where she lived during his studies when her friends approached her, visibly angry. It was all thanks to the book Lina was holding.
“They asked why I brought the Bible to school,” says Lina. “They were my friends. I was really scared. I was afraid to offend them, I was afraid to make a mistake. I have never seen them so angry before.”
Lina grew up in a Christian home in Brunei. Before going to college, she never thought she might offend her peers as a Christian.
Our partners first met her at a youth camp they organized to help young Christians in Brunei grow, mature and stay firm in their faith.
According to our local partners, in recent years more and more young people have chosen to follow Jesus. They have not been deterred even by the steadfast daily demands of their companions to abandon their faith in Jesus.
Lina secret
Lina is grateful for the opportunity to share her story. She hopes it will help Christians around the world understand what it’s like to live as a Christian in Brunei and the pressures Christians face every day in a culture hostile to their faith.
Being a Christian is a crime in Brunei. Indeed, there are churches within whose walls believers can participate in various Christian activities. But the increasing application of Sharia, or Islamic law – which applies to both Muslims and non-Muslims – aims to make Brunei a fully Islamic state.
Lina and other Christian students in Brunei are forced to hide who they are and find hidden ways to practice their faith.
This makes it increasingly difficult for the small Christian minority to express or share their faith. There is always a chance that believers will be insulted or accused of spreading the gospel to the Muslims of the country. Therefore, believers in Brunei need to be extremely careful.
University studies are a time when students from other countries usually find themselves and learn to authentically express their individual identity and faith. Lina and other Christian students in Brunei are forced to hide who they are and find hidden ways to practice their faith.
According to the same dress code
At university, Lina, like other female students, has to wear a hijab. This is one of the rules she has to follow.
“All women, regardless of their religion, must wear the hijab,” explains Lina. “Even though my roommates know I’m a Christian, I have to dress like them.”
Outside of college, Lina can wear whatever clothes she wants, but life would get really complicated if she decided to be different.
“Peer pressure is real,” says Lina. “So I wear a hijab even when I’m outside the hostel.”
Lina even hides her cross pendant. “If this is seen, I will be accused of spreading the gospel,” she says.
She adds that Bibles are prohibited in the hostel because most of the students are Muslim and the teachers are Muslim.
The Bible App does not drag attention
To avoid conflicts, Lina has stopped publishing the Bible verses and sermons she likes on social media.
She knows that this can lead to a rift with friends.
Like the other more than 360 million persecuted Christians in the world—who face at least serious pressure, persecution, and discrimination for their faith every day—Lina continues to follow Christ in less visible ways.
She no longer opens the Bible on her lap, but uses an app on her phone to read the Word. It attracts less attention and offers Lina an opportunity to grow in her faith.
“Nobody can stop me from looking at my phone,” says Lina. “A physical Bible is simply too dangerous to carry around.”
*Name changed for security reasons.
*The photo shows the actress who plays Lina.
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