By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Absolute monarch Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei announced in January a harsh form of sharia law will be enacted. Effective in three phases beginning now and spanning two years, the edict eventually allows for the stoning to death of homosexuals, adulterers, and apostates; for amputation of limbs for those convicted of theft; and flogging for abortions and the consumption of alcohol. The capital offense provisions of the law reportedly apply only to Muslims.
Sultan Bolkiah claims this is a step in solidifying a long cultural tradition in the sultanate which was established in the fourteenth century. Increasingly conservative Muslim politicians and officials in Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia are beginning to move from sharia being limited to family matters to now criminal law and capital offenses. Acheh in Indonesia is included especially. While Brunei enjoys one of the highest per capital income in the world, has many social benefits such as effectively free health care and education, its population of over 416,000 individuals now is seeing human rights restricted in a trend that is generating international condemnation in the West. Al-Jazeera reported that many members of the Muslim ethnic Malay majority have voiced cautious support for the changes. However, non-Muslim citizens, who are fifteen percent of the population, led a rare burst of criticism on social media earlier this year, but largely went silent after the sultan called for a halt.
“Theory states that God’s law is harsh and unfair, but God himself has said that his law is indeed fair,” the sultan said.
But will Western governments be willing to isolate countries engaging in abuses of individuals and oppression of the human rights of populations or is trade and money going to become the focus and inconveniences such as abuse continue to be ignored?
In another familiar trade above human rights story, on the day this sharia law measure took effect the Obama Administration’s chief trade negotiator Michael Froman was lobbying Capitol Hill to ratify The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), strongly sought by President Obama and others since 2009, which would bind the United States to providing the sultanate with economic privileges.
Senator Elizabeth Warren stated her concern about the secrecy of the trade agreement (leaked to various news organizations) and how this agreement will allow corporations and governments the ability to override existing laws.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other NGOs have expressed concern and worry that governments such as Malaysia and Brunei which now both have laws criminalizing homosexuality are now given special trade privileges, whereas trade sanctions and other measures by corporations, governments, and individuals to attempt to instigate change in these governments to protect their citizens should be instead used. Providing trade advantages only serves to reward violations of human rights.
There are concerns in the non-Muslim cultures within Brunei. According to The Diplomat the sharia bans the propagation of religions other than Islam or atheism. The offense will carry a $20,000 fine and/or a prison term of up to five years. This has compromised the 30,000 Filipinos living in Brunei and prompted a warning from a Catholic priest in the tiny, oil-rich sultanate that there will be no baptisms. “There will be no baptisms. There is not a lot we can do about it. We will have to wait and see what happens,” he told Britain’s Independent newspaper.
Schools have also been warned that children are not to be exposed to any religion, be it through ceremonies or acts of worship, but Islam and that non-Muslims would be subjected to some aspects of the new laws. It was not clear exactly what parts of Sharia law would be imposed on non-Muslims.
On the International front Phil Robertson, Deputy Director for the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch, said: “Brunei’s decision to implement criminal Sharia law is a huge step backwards for human rights in the country. It constitutes an authoritarian move towards brutal medieval punishments that have no place in the modern, 21st century world. The entire world should express its outrage and heap criticism on this ill-considered move and urge the Brunei government to immediately reconsider.” Rupert Abbott of Amnesty International, noted the laws carried the death penalty for acts that should not be considered crimes and would “take the country back to the dark ages.” He further added, “Brunei Darussalam’s new Penal Code legalizes cruel and inhuman punishments. It makes a mockery of the country’s international human rights commitments and must be revoked immediately.”
In a carefully worded statement the UN has said it considers some of the penalties to be “torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” under international law. As such their use could warrant an investigation from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The backlash against the sultanate and its business interests is generating in the United States in certain circles. The sultan owns the Dorchester Collection which includes the iconic and luxurious Beverly Hills Hotel and is now experiencing this. Entertainer Jay Leno protested outside the hotel with the Feminist Majority Foundation The foundation moved its Global Women’s Rights Awards from the hotel as did Gill Action’s Political OutGiving conference. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres called for a boycott and Virgin CEO Richard Branson tweeted “No @Virgin employee, nor our family, will stay at Dorchester Hotels until the Sultan abides by basic human rights.”
Some organizations went to some considerable length to voice their resolve against the Beverly Hills. According to Fox411 the teen suicide prevention charity Teen Line forfeited its $60,000 down payment to take the event elsewhere, and the Hollywood Reporter notified the Beverly Hills Hotel that it will not hold its annual Women in Entertainment breakfast there. The Beverly Hills City Council is meeting to discuss a resolution condemning Brunei’s new laws, and encourage “the government of Brunei to divest itself of the Beverly Hills Hotel.”
The sultan claims that the law allows wide discretion on behalf of judges on whether or not to impose these internationally condemned punishments of gays, adulterers and others judged to be in violation of these sharia laws. But it remains to be seen how this is actually carried out. The fact that these laws are in force is a moral outrage in more open and free societies.
Since Brunei is ruled by an absolute monarch it remains to be seen how influential international and internal pressures to embrace core human rights will be. One could argue that it only requires the changing of one mind to end this return to a dark chapter in Islam that is seemingly increasing in some areas of the world. But when face and other pressures are at hand this might prove difficult. Brunei does have a parliament yet it is completely subservient to the sultanate. Yet with a nation as developed and committed to modernism in trade and international monetary issues as Brunei, it does on the surface seem rather disconnected with its departure from the tenets of basic human rights and justice.
By Darren Smith
Sources:
Huffington Post
BBC News
Fox News
The Diplomat
al-Jazeera
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
Justice Holmes,
I’m not sure we understand what is meant by Sharia law as it is being practiced in America. I wish po had time to explain it. I think it is in matters like inheritance and marriage and divorce. But, I’m not sure. po?
Further, ultra orthodox Jews practice a kind of religious law and it also impacts marriage and divorce. And those laws do influence entire communities in upstate NY.
I think our fear of Sharia law is misplaced. It is not going to supersede our judicial system. But it sure is a useful tool to incite the crowd.
I do not think NY should allow Jewish law to be practiced in place of the statutes of NY, but they do. The least they could do then is allow canon law and sharia law to be practiced as well.
Boy. I just don’t get it. This country gets ‘points’ because the NFL may deny a spot to Sam because he is gay but he is not under threat of a death sentence? That’s some low bar for an Exceptional ‘Christian’ country.
I’ll give this country points when they make TX stop executing innocent men. And their governors don’t brag about it.
And kudos to Jamie Diamon, too.
po
Thank you for the explanation of Sharia law. Unfortunately, I fear many did not bother to read it. Ignorance is more comfortable and fear is a powerful weapon.
There were crusades for a reason. There will be blood. Over and out.
My late father-in-law was chief engineer for Ward Body Works, later to become AmTran (American Transportation). They specialized in building school buses. He told me of a huge contract the company got from Saudi Arabia. IIRC, this was in the 1960s. He said the contract had a clause in it demanding Ward Body Works could not employ any Jews, and no Jew would be allowed to drive, or even touch any of the school buses. I asked him what they did about it. He said they signed the contract and ignored that clause.
I can’t remember if the Saudis didn’t want women driving the buses.
Sharia law contains prohibitions that oppress women and nonMuslims. Why is it necessary for Western countries to accept Sharia law and provide accommodations to it in western counties. If Muslims wish to live and do business in Western countries they should have to follow our laws. Does Sharia law provide for a foreigner exception to its application? I think not.
Ah, yet more fundamentalism in action.
As Christadelphians, we keep to ourselves and do not push our faith on other’s. We may all be classified as Non Trinitarian, but that doesnt mean we are clones of one another. That is one of the reasons I cherish it.
For anyone to say Non Trinitarians aren’t true Christians, I say they are sorely misinformed.
I had to interview a witness on an attorney malpractice case. I did work defending attorneys sued for malpractice. This involved alleged malpractice by an attorney representing a union in negotiations. A key witness, I would learn, was a Jehovah’s Witness. I went to her house to take a statement. I emerged, a SOLID four hours later, w/ the statement and ALL I will ever need to know about that religion! At least I was able to bill the time.
Non Trinitarians include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, Christadelpians and other Christian faiths. They are every bit as Christian as the next. They were persecuted by Hitler.
If Brunei initiates the Sharia law, the US should remove any financial aid, because surely the Sultan has enough money to share with his subjects. The TPP is a flawed and anti-labor document and should not be enacted by the US, no matter who else is in favor of it.
Paul, I have read a lot on this the past 2 days. There are knowledgeable people saying Sam did not have good numbers @ the Combine. So, there is a chance this slight so far is legit. The most unbiased source being Nate Silver who put Sam @ 50/50 chances. But, my gut tells me he’s getting passed on for reasons other than talent. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Chuck – I really kind of hope Ward Body Works brought in the local synagogue and had them sit on every seat.
Pssst… I Know where the real parties are. Please keep it under your hat.
Tom – nice video. Thanks.
Jamie Dimon — bankster and Po have it exactly right,
Nick – they didn’t take All-American Will Sutton until the fourth round.
Michael Sam, the first openly gay football player to come out of college football has not yet been drafted going into the lower rounds this weekend. He was the conference Defensive Player of the Year @ Mizzou. Some NFL execs are saying this is because “He is not that good an athlete.” That statement is an ironic cross-rip since black players like Sam, are always praised for their “athletic ability.” This APPEARS to be owners not wanting to deal w/ the baggage of having an openly gay player in their locker room. For some, it’s probably homophobia but for most I surmise the former. We have openly gay people in every sector of our culture. This is the last frontier. I relate this ongoing saga on this thread to emphasize just how good this country is compared to others. There are a lotta haters of the US on this blog. Compare the plight of Michael Sam to the terror under which he would live in so many other countries.
Darren
This quote “One could argue that it only requires the changing of one mind to end this return to a dark chapter in Islam that is seemingly increasing in some areas of the world. ” is a bit problematic. I am not sure what is meant by dark chapter in Islam. In fact, if there was ever a time where shariah law was at its purest and fairest, it was during the life of the Prophet, for he was just, fair, caring, and was known to dismiss confessing criminals just so he wouldn’t hear their confession and have to apply the punishment.
Also worth noting: most Muslims would not want to live under shariah law, for it requires smart, caring, just and fair system and judges, which are not readily found.
By the way, Paul, Muhamad did not create Islam. He passed along the message, the divine message, the same message Jesus and Moses passed along.
Also, while it is true that most Christians today accept the trinity, there has always been churches that did not. And the gospel of John is the one that really framed Jesus as divine.
po – the gnostics who in the early church held that Jesus was not God were disbanded. And, not to put too fine a point on it, Mohammed was doing a lot more than passing along the message.
Proscribed=prescribed