Stoning in Brunei - Sarah Seeliger

Stoning in Brunei

A couple of days ago, the sultan of Brunei passed a new law that puts the lives of many people there in danger. This law says that anal and extramarital sex, adultery, and abortion are punishable by being stoned to death, and that theft is punishable by limb amputation. Rape, blasphemy, and heressy are also punishable by death. These laws are said to be based on an Islamic set of laws called the Shariah, and the sultan of Brunei first introduced the "draconian" version Shariah in 2013. His reasoning for doing so was to establish a more confining form of Islam on the country. A statement that has been made by the sultan's office was that says " [Brunei]  is a sovereign Islamic and fully independent country, and like other countries, enforces its own rule of laws" (New York Times). This same statement also said that the goals of the Shariah are to make criminal things that are against Muslim teachings as well as to educate, protect, and respect rights of individuals of all societies, races, and religions (New York Times). These new laws in Brunei go against global prohibitions against torture and mistreatment. Because of this, Michele Bachelet has weighed in. Michele Bachelet is a United Nations human rights comissioner, and according to her " In reality, no judiciary in the world can claim to be mistake-free, and evidence shows that the death penalty is disproportionately applied against people who are already vulnerable, with a high risk of miscarriages of justice".  The U.S. as well as Britan, France, and Germany are critisizing these new laws. 

  Although all of these things are horrific, stoning for anal or "gay" sex has been getting the most attention from the LGBT community, which it targets, as well as celebrities. The sultan of Brunei owns many very profitable hotels in different parts of the world, and because of the stoning law, famous people are boycotting them and refusing to stay there. Among the poeple who have boycotted these hotels are Elton John, George Clooney, Ellen Degeneres, and many others. The hotels that are being boycotted are as follows: 

  1. Hotel Bel - Air (LA)
  2. The Beverly Hills Hotel (Beverly Hills)
  3. The Dorchester (London)
  4. 45 Park Lane (London)
  5. Coworth Park (Ascot, UK)
  6. Le Meurice (Paris)
  7. Hotel Plaza Athenee (Paris)
  8. Hotel Eden (Rome)
  9. Hotel Principe di Savoia (Milan, Italy)

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