Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is a royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei. The mosque is classified as one of the most spectacular mosques in the Asia Pacific and a major tourist attraction. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is considered amongst the people of Brunei as the country’s major landmark.

Most people blame our deen, Islam, for acts of terrorism. That blame is totally baseless as terrorism is a punishable crime in Islam referred to in Shariah as hirabah. One should therefore take the opportunity to watch this video to see why Islam is called the religion of peace.

Lyrics to Yusuf Islam, Ta’la al Badru Alayna (The White Moon Rose Over Us). Listen to the song here.

It is pretty much well-known that there is only one ethnic group in this country which is associated with Islam (that being said, that does not mean that there are no Muslims from other ethnic groups). It is also well-known that the particular ethnic group in question dominates the political scene of this country and do not habitually speak Mandarin either. I have shunned race-based politics a long time ago but I cannot help but feel that there is not only religious discrimination, but also a racist agenda behind this “requirement” that “those of the Muslim faith need not apply”.

Here is an interesting website, aptly named Islamophobia, which discusses issues concerning Islamophobia as well as real cases involving Islamophobia and the terrorism that Muslims had to face due to this disease.

Sometimes I wonder what is wrong with some so-called “Muslims” in the body of the Muslim ummah, who are so quick to condemn and criticize those who are learned in their field. Particularly the case of a “Muslim” woman artist who shaved her hair bald in order to act in a film which was criticized by two muftis from two different States. Instead of the artist in question being censured for what she did, these learned muftis become the victims for their criticisms instead. If she really wanted to play that part so badly, she could have just resorted to acting cosmetics. I have seen Hollywood stars wearing a rubbery-like mask over their heads to give the impression that they are bald when the character calls for it.