RELIGION: MUSLIM AND NON-MUSLIM BELAIT ETHNIC

5.4 RELIGION: MUSLIM AND NON-MUSLIM BELAIT ETHNIC

As a third section of this final part of the identification process of what makes a Belait ethnic is also an extension to the previous topic on customs and how religion comes into play as an amalgamation of culture and religious ethics in the formation and identification of a Belait ethnic. Religion reinforces of what my respondents believed to be a Belait ethnic as opposed As a third section of this final part of the identification process of what makes a Belait ethnic is also an extension to the previous topic on customs and how religion comes into play as an amalgamation of culture and religious ethics in the formation and identification of a Belait ethnic. Religion reinforces of what my respondents believed to be a Belait ethnic as opposed

The Belait ethnic group from what my respondents have said accepts the fact that their identity is no longer tied with the practice of animism, they readily treat it as a foreign culture that no longer identifies as a Belait ethnic, there is a an extension as well as closure to the identification process with the coming of religion in their lives for example a respondent explains how the slaughtering of chicken during a wedding and pouring the blood over the newlyweds are no longer acceptable just as the person who performs such acts that possess the knowledge of mengalai is no longer part of what constitute a Belait identity today. As mentioned earlier the respondent who used the word jin describes the acts of mengalai as worshiping of these jin or mystical beasts;

“If you fall ill for example struck by a thorn like what happened to me, I have experience as she pulled out the thorn and healed it through mengalai , that is the use of jin.”

“The people form the past believed in jin. So when they converted to Islam none of that exists. Like mengalai perakong , we cannot play that today because if you do the jin will come.”

“The belaits were mainly practicing animism. Everybody believed in animistic gods, believed in birds; sounds in the middle of the night as a bad omen. But for

us birds, may it be at night or morning makes noises”.

They have developed a more rational thinking towards the beliefs of birds, bad omens and such, what my other respondent has said that “atu inda, Islam nada pa2 effect, Islam itu ok.

Berpindah kepada nda berugama kepada berugama tapi belait atu masih sama, nda pupus belait atu, jadi ya nda effect kepada puak ” Islam has no effect towards the Belait, Islam is

Ok. The shift from no religion to having a religion but the Belait remain the same, they are not extinct, so there is no effect towards the ethnic group. This is interesting to note how Islam has not only become a part of what makes a Belait ethnic today but to acknowledge Ok. The shift from no religion to having a religion but the Belait remain the same, they are not extinct, so there is no effect towards the ethnic group. This is interesting to note how Islam has not only become a part of what makes a Belait ethnic today but to acknowledge

“M engalai of course not, it was true in the past for our ancestors but since the coming of Islam into kuala balai, labi, they cease to exist”.

Islam was not force nor was it difficult for the Belait to accept, the coming of religion into their lives were seen as a blessing and as well as a decision of their own;

“In the 1950 era, little by little people started to convert to Islam, some because their kids got married…for us that was not the case, all 12 children with my mother, 14 of us all converted together, not because of marriage to my children. All loved Islam…Of course after Islam it is better, better in everything, there is wisdom, and if I did not convert to Islam I would not have gotten my children and their scholarships, to Egypt. If it weren’t for Islam this would not happen”

However for one of my respondent as he said that Islam did not affect the Belait the decision by the administration to change his ethnic status into Malay was in his view incorrect, because to him changing ones religious beliefs does not change ones ethnic group as he explains below;

“But today for belait, they change it to Malay; they did not change it to melayu belait. One of the big mistakes because Brunei has seven ethnic groups, the constitution says so, that is why I got in a quarrel with the administrators before, “I am a belait”, you cannot Haji because you are now a Muslim no longer a Belait”

Identification of a Belait from the perspective of my respondent rests on their ethnic location, the practice of beras rujut and Language. Language was not emphasised as much as they did towards their ethnic custom, I will explain further more on language below.