WebProNews

Tag: sharia law

  • Sharia Law Causes Celebrities To Boycott Famed Beverly Hills Hotel

    Ellen DeGeneres and Jay Leno are just two of the famous personalities that are boycotting the Beverly Hills Hotel – a Brunei-owned company.

    On Monday, the Beverly Hills on Sunset Boulevard was bombarded with crowds of protesters calling for people to boycott the hotel. The protest was against Brunei leader, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who announced last week that he is going to push through with the Sharia law that includes stoning to death and severing limbs of adulterers and gay citizens.

    According to reports, the penalties also apply to Brunei-based citizens who are not Muslim.

    As a result of the announcement, music executive and record producer Clive Davis moved out of the hotel over the weekend. Organizers of large-scale events that were supposed to take place at the hotel also pulled out. Other stars boycotting the hotel include Richard Branson, Stephen Fry, and Sharon Osbourne.

    Lili Bosse, mayor of Beverly Hills, is urging the city to come up with a resolution that condemns Brunei’s new laws. The city will be voting on what measures to take on Tuesday.

    Amidst all the protests, some are concerned about the employees who are working for the hotel and other properties of the Dorchester Collection. Christopher Cowdray, Chief Executive for the Dorchester Collection said that the act of boycotting will hurt employees of the chain.

    A source said that with the lack of celebrities and other well-known personalities in the hotel, there is no need to take on the extra employees.

    U.S. has been discreet about wanting to change the penal code of Brunei, but reports say that the country’s concerns have already been relayed in private to the government of Brunei.

    Sultan Bolkiah’s new law has made Brunei the first country to set the Sharia Law nationally in East and Southeast Asia. Several human rights organizations, and the United Nations office have shown their disapproval of the law.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Brunei Sharia Law Going Into Effect

    Hassanal Bolkiah, 67, The Sultan of Brunei, plans to begin enforcing Sharia law for Muslims and non-Muslims on Thursday, despite concerns from human rights campaigners and international watchdog groups. In the Arabic-speaking world, Sharia, also known as Islāmī qānūn, means the moral code and religious law of a prophetic religion.

    Sharia deals with many of the same topics addressed by secular law, including politics, crime and economics, as well as with personal matters such as sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer, general etiquette and fasting. Punishments include amputation, beheading, flogging, stoning, blinding, severing of the spinal cord, burying alive, hanging, burning alive and crucifixion.

    Bolkiah warned that anyone who took to social media to protest his mandate might be prosecuted. “It is because of our need that Allah the Almighty, in all his generosity, has created laws for us, so that we can utilize them to obtain justice,” the Sultan commented. It would seem a Tweet might warrant some medium-strength flogging in Brunei under the impending the new laws.

    During a speech yesterday, Bolkiah explained how he would introduce Sharia in three phases – “Today I place my faith in, and am grateful to Allah the almighty, to announce that tomorrow, Thursday, May 1, 2014, will see the enforcement of sharia law phase one, to be followed by the other phases.” The phases are likely to begin with fines and jail sentences, and could graduate to crucifixion.

    Bolkiah, said to be worth roughly $20 billion, is likely going to see a problem with his ties to the U.K. The Sultan presently pays for a garrison of 1,000 British soldiers known as the Royal Gurkha Rifles, who are stationed in the Southeast Asian country. Great Britain’s Ministry of Defense had asked authorities in Brunei to clarify whether the new laws would have any impact on the their troops. The outcome of that communication has yet to be made public.

    Commenting on the Sultan’s new edict, Anicée Van Engeland, a lecturer in law at SOAS, University of London stated, “When rulers do this, it is usually for domestic political reasons.” Bolkiah said he wished to reduce the “challenges” of globalization, mainly the use of the internet.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Saudi Royal Facing Death Penalty

    A news report emerged from Dubai early Sunday that claims a Saudi royal may very well be executed for the killing of another Saudi. A senior government source close to the royal family stated that the Prince Salman “cleared the way for the possible execution of a prince convicted of murdering a Saudi citizen”. The name of the particular Saudi prince and of the victim has not been released.

    A report to Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef from Prince Salman is reported to have said on the matter, “Sharia (Islamic law) shall be applied to all without exception”.

    The victim’s father has apparently rejected an offer of “blood money” in exchange for sparing the life of the killer. Blood money is apparently a form of offering restitution to the victim’s family and is encouraged over asking for a death penalty. In this case, the father is alleged to want more money. However, bribes to hold up trials and convicted are frowned upon on an official level, and it seems Prince Salman is looking to send a message.

    “There is no difference between big and small, rich and poor … Nobody is allowed to interfere with the judiciary’s decision. This is the tradition of this state. We are committed to following the sharia.”

    Sharia laws are blamed for a high level of executions as well as a failure for justice to be applied uniformly, and are highly condemned in the West. The system doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, and the execution of a royal may be a sign of just how ingrained the tradition is. Though there have been dozens of such executions across the Middle East within the past few years, the execution of royalty remains a rare occurrence.

    Despite the claims by Prince Salman, it’s possible that enough blood money could be offered to make the charge go away. It seems regardless of whether or not there will be an execution, the process will remain a matter of high controversy.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons