Brunei Darussalam is a small country located on the northern part of Kalimantan island, bordering with Malaysia and Indonesia. But although it is small, it is known as a prosperous country that applies the Syaria law to its government system and social life. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah is the 29th sultan of Brunei Darussalam and has ruled the kingdom for over 40 years since 1967. He has been successful in developing Brunei Darussalam into a prosperousand peaceful state in Asia.
Its culture is approximately similar with the Malay culture, but with a strong influence of Hindu and Islam. Generally, having established Islam as its formal religion and the prevailing philosophy of “Melayu Islam Beraja” (Islam Malay Rules), the royal government is more conservative than Malaysia. It has set up a number of Moslem-oriented public institutions and pursued efforts to inculcate the Islamic values into its economic and financial activities. At the end of 1980s, the royal government had pursued a number steps to establish an Islamic bank institution.
