A total of 86 people converted to Islam in the Belait district of Brunei Darussalam.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN — The Belait District Da’wah Unit in Brunei Darussalam recorded 86 years ago convert in the district from January to November 26, 2022. One of the new converts is a 35-year-old Indian, Ganapathi Vijayan who converted to Islam on November 26, 2022.

Ganapathi recited the shahada in a ceremony at the residence of Muharrir Amir on Jalan Maulana, Kuala Belait in the presence of religious leaders from the Islamic Da’wah Unit Haji Ahmad Abdussalam bin Haji Abdul Rahman. Ganapathi, who is now known as Muhammad Gana bin Vijayan, also received a gift from Haji Ahmad Abdussalam.

Quote from the page Borneo NewsletterOn Tuesday (11/29/2022), a Dikir Marhaban led the event with a congratulatory prayer read by Muhammad Haziman bin Othman of the Belait District Da’wah Unit blessing the event.

As known, about two-thirds or 75% of Brunei’s population are Malays and the rest are Chinese, Iban, Murut, etc. The population of Brunei is 400,000 people. The largest minority ethnic group that dominates the country’s economy are the Chinese (Han) who make up about 15 percent of Brunei’s population.

These ethnic groups also represent the most important languages, namely Malay which is the official language, as well as Chinese. The Malay language spoken in Brunei is different from the Malay language of Peninsular Malaysia, but is closer to the Sarawak and Sabah dialects. This language is called the “Brunei language”.

Islam is the official religion of Brunei and the Sultan of Brunei is the main religion of the country. Other religions practiced in the country include Buddhism (followed by the Chinese), Christianity and indigenous religions (in very small communities).