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Many non-Muslim journalists only have a rudimentary knowledge of Islam. And that’s a major reason why criticism arises over news coverage that sometimes tells only one side of the story.

I’ll admit that when I was anchoring for global news giant CNN out of Hong Kong last decade, I was one of those who definitely needed to study more about the religion of nearly a fourth of the world’s population. And it showed in an article I wrote for a US newspaper on the annual gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Brunei.

Here is part of that article on my initial visit to a Muslim-majority country, which includes a snapshot of the regional political turmoil at the time. I like to think that I know a little bit more now after living in a country that observes Ramadan along with Easter and Diwali.

Dateline: En Route to Brunei, December 2000

When I woke up on my Royal Brunei Airlines flight to the sound of prayers, it was with more than a startle. “Allah is great … Allah is most understanding,” said the voice and text on the cabin video screens.

“What’s going on?” I asked the female flight attendant, her head covered by a color-coordinated scarf. “It is just a standard prayer message we play on every flight,” she said.

Right then, I knew this was going to be no ordinary overseas assignment.

I was heading to cover the Leaders’ Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, made up of 21 Pacific Rim nations. The host country was APEC’s smallest member, Brunei, but one of the richest in terms of natural resources.

Oil and gas made the country’s ruler, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the wealthiest man in the world in 1997, with a personal fortune of $38 billion at the time.

I had hopes of getting a glimpse of the extravagant lifestyle of the man with reportedly 1,000 polo ponies and 2,000 luxury cars. Not to mention two wives.

That’s allowable under Islamic law and Brunei follows strict Muslim practices. No pork. Modest attire for women. And no alcohol for sale, even in hotels and restaurants that cater to tourists. “I’m getting some duty free beer on the way in,” confided my thirsty producer.

But event security was the more pressing concern because of disruptive protests at global economic meetings in Melbourne and Seattle that year. And more than a few of the APEC leaders had serious problems at home.

Philippine President Joseph Estrada faced impeachment over allegations of taking illegal gambling payoffs. Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori had public approval ratings of less than 20 percent and was about to be dumped from office. And little did anyone know at the time that Peru’s President Alberto Fujimori was planning to resign at his next stop, Tokyo, because of a political scandal at home.

But guess what? Because of Brunei’s relative inaccessibility and a law that forbids public congregation of more than four people without government approval, not a single demonstration occurred. None.

“What do we have to protest about?” one smiling Bruneian said. His point was well taken. Free health care and education, no personal income tax and the fact that more than half of the country’s working population have government jobs translates into a fairly grateful society.

Over the course of three days, I would talk with Thailand’s Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, US Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta and international business leaders seeking high-level face time.

But it was during an interview with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Helen Clark that my desire to view the lavish lifestyle of Brunei’s royalty was also satisfied. She was staying at one of the sultan’s guest homes (he had 40), and our crew was instructed to set up in the parlor. After carefully helping move gold-leaved tables and chairs, I sat down to wait for Clark when my attention focused downward.

Something on the thick Persian carpet was sparkling in the camera lights. In fact, there were glints of reflection throughout the sizeable room. It couldn’t be. Could it? “Yes, they’re real gold flakes,” a royal aide whispered.

Gold. Scattered like beach sand everywhere on the floor rug. And it was a strangely exciting feeling to walk out planning how you’d carefully wipe off your shoes once you got in the car.

The week would go well. Besides covering the daily stories, I learned a few things in a country that’s 70 percent Muslim:

• Brunei’s energy reserves are being depleted, with supplies expected to run out in 30 years. As a result, tourism is being pushed as a new revenue earner, although I’m skeptical of success without the relaxing of liquor laws.

• The large arrow on the ceiling above my hotel room bed wasn’t pointing to the nearest polo field. It showed the direction of Islam’s holiest site, Mecca, where prayers are directed to every day.

• You don’t know how much you miss Spam until you can’t have it.

• Gold doesn’t stick to the bottom of your shoes.

Update: Jakarta, May 2010

It now seems silly that I wasn’t aware of the prayer guide arrow signs that are common in countries such as Brunei and Indonesia. And I was mistaken in my belief that the Islamic ban on alcohol could be changed by legislation.

Here are some other updates and reflections from that introductory trip:

• Brunei’s sultan no longer makes Top 10 list of the world’s richest, as he is down to an estimated net worth of $20 billion.

• Pitsuwan is now a fellow Jakarta resident as secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

• Estrada rose like a phoenix to run again for the Philippine presidency this month, but finished second to Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino.

• Fujimori was extradited back to Peru and is now in prison.

• Indonesia is nearly 90 percent Muslim. But Spam is readily available at my neighborhood store.

Hawaii native Dalton Tanonaka’s column will be running every Thursday in the Jakarta Globe. He is co-anchor of Metro TV’s “Indonesia Now” on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. and Sundays at 1 a.m. He can be reached at dalton@metrotvnews.com.