Brunei Pushes Ahead With Strict Sharia Code

The Sultan of Brunei is pushing ahead with tough sharia punishments - including death by stoning, the severing of limbs and flogging - despite rare opposition from many of his subjects.

The absolute ruler of the oil-rich kingdom said: "With faith and gratitude to Allah the almighty, I declare that tomorrow, Thursday May 1, 2014, will see the enforcement of sharia law phase one, to be followed by the other phases." 

The initial phase introduces fines or jail terms for offences ranging from indecent behaviour, failure to attend Friday prayers, and pregnancies outside marriage.

But the measures will later be extended to include the more harsh punishments for offences such as sodomy and adultery.

The plans, initially announced earlier this year, have brought condemnation from some in the tiny sultanate.

The sultan salutes the during celebrations for Brunei's national day

Many users of Brunei's active social media - the only avenue available for public criticism of authorities - denounced the penal code as barbaric and out of step with the moderate Bruneian national character.

An unexplained postponement of an expected April 22 start date brought questions as to whether or not the Muslim monarch was hesitating.

But 67-year-old Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world's wealthiest men, insisted he was going ahead after dismissing "theories" that the penal code is unjust.

"Theory states that Allah's law is cruel and unfair but Allah himself has said that his law is indeed fair," the sultan said as he delivered the decree in traditional Malay dress.

The sultan's son and Brunaian Muslims say prayers for those on flight MH370

Muslim ethnic Malays, who make up about 70%, are broadly supportive of the move by their revered father-figure.

But some Malays and non-Muslim citizens - about 15% of Bruneians are non-Muslim ethnic Chinese - are unhappy about the change.

The monarch is one of the richest people in the world with his wealth estimated three years ago by Forbes magazine at around £11bn ($20bn).

He reportedly has a vast collection of luxury vehicles and huge, gold-bedecked palaces.

The sultan himself was at the centre of controversy over a sensational family feud involving his younger brother Jefri Bolkiah over the latter's alleged embezzlement of £9bn during his tenure as finance minister in the 1990s.

Court battles and exposes revealed extraordinary details of Jefri's un-Islamic jet-set lifestyle, including allegations of a high-priced harem of Western lovers and a luxury yacht he owned called Tits.

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