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Celebrities boycotting Dorchester Hotel Group because of new Sharia laws in Brunei
4 HOURS AGO MAY 01, 2014 8:33AM
On the black list ... the exterior of the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. Picture: Dorchester Collection Source: Supplied
THIS is the Hotel Bel-Air. It’s one of the most exclusive places you can stay in Los Angeles. Set on 12 leafy acres, the hotel’s 45 luxurious suites are billed as a “peaceful getaway ... where the rich and famous go and hide.”
It’s currently ranked as the second best hotel in LA, out of a total list of 319 on Trip Advisor.
But some of Hollywood’s most powerful celebrities have announced that they will be boycotting the Hotel Bel-Air, along with other up-market hotels in the Dorchester Collection including the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Dorchester in London.
Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Osbourne and Stephen Fry have spearheaded the campaign because of anti-gay measures which have been signed into law by the Dorchester Collection’s owner, the Sultan of Brunei.
Fashion industry figures have also taken up the cause.
The oil-rich sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, signed into law tough Sharia law punishments for a range of crimes, which include same-gender sexual activity.
“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 absolute monarch said in a royal decree on Wednesday.
Plans for the Sharia penalties — which will eventually include flogging, severing of limbs and death by stoning — triggered condemnation on social media sites in the tiny, sleepy sultanate earlier this year.
Originally the new laws were to come into effect on April 22.
The delay of one week was not explained but some suggested it indicated the Sultan was hesitating in the wake of international criticism.
The 67-year-old monarch first proposed the sharia penal code in 1990s, and in recent years has increasingly warned of rising crime and pernicious outside influences such as the internet. He has called Islam a “firewall” against globalisation.
Contentious new laws ... Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah proclaims Sharia Law in Bandar Seri Begawan on April 30.Source: AFP
Brunei is the first country in East or Southeast Asia to introduce a sharia penal code on a national level.
Situated on Borneo island, which it shares with Malaysia and Indonesia, the small state already practised a relatively conservative form of Islam compared to its Muslim-majority neighbours, banning the sale of alcohol and restricting other religions.
The introduction of Sharia law will happen in stages. The first stage introduces fines or jail terms for offences ranging from indecent behaviour, failure to attend Friday prayers, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies.
A second phase covering crimes such as theft and robbery is to start later this year, involving more stringent penalties such as severing of limbs and flogging.
Late next year, punishments such as death by stoning for offences including sodomy and adultery will be introduced.
The UN’s human rights office said this month it was “deeply concerned”, adding that women typically bear the brunt of punishment for crimes involving sex.
“It’s a return to medieval punishment,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
“It’s a huge step back for human rights in Brunei and totally out of step with the 21st century.”
The boycott has been given further support by American shoe designer Brian Atwood, who advised fashion industry figures to boycott Dorchester hotels during London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks this year.
“Send a clear signal to their owner, the Sultan of Brunei, that stoning people to death for being gay in Brunei is not acceptable,” he advised his followers on social media.
In response, the hotel chain released a statement to Women’s Wear Daily saying that employees “had no involvement in this religious and political issue”.
“We continue to abide by the laws of the countries we operate in and do not tolerate any form of discrimination of any kind. The laws that exist in other countries outside of where Dorchester Collection operates do not affect the policies that govern how we run our hotels,” the statement read.
Celebrities boycotting Dorchester Hotel Group because of new Sharia laws in Brunei | News.com.au
4 HOURS AGO MAY 01, 2014 8:33AM
On the black list ... the exterior of the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. Picture: Dorchester Collection Source: Supplied
THIS is the Hotel Bel-Air. It’s one of the most exclusive places you can stay in Los Angeles. Set on 12 leafy acres, the hotel’s 45 luxurious suites are billed as a “peaceful getaway ... where the rich and famous go and hide.”
It’s currently ranked as the second best hotel in LA, out of a total list of 319 on Trip Advisor.
But some of Hollywood’s most powerful celebrities have announced that they will be boycotting the Hotel Bel-Air, along with other up-market hotels in the Dorchester Collection including the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Dorchester in London.
Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Osbourne and Stephen Fry have spearheaded the campaign because of anti-gay measures which have been signed into law by the Dorchester Collection’s owner, the Sultan of Brunei.
Fashion industry figures have also taken up the cause.
The oil-rich sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, signed into law tough Sharia law punishments for a range of crimes, which include same-gender sexual activity.
“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 absolute monarch said in a royal decree on Wednesday.
Plans for the Sharia penalties — which will eventually include flogging, severing of limbs and death by stoning — triggered condemnation on social media sites in the tiny, sleepy sultanate earlier this year.
Originally the new laws were to come into effect on April 22.
The delay of one week was not explained but some suggested it indicated the Sultan was hesitating in the wake of international criticism.
The 67-year-old monarch first proposed the sharia penal code in 1990s, and in recent years has increasingly warned of rising crime and pernicious outside influences such as the internet. He has called Islam a “firewall” against globalisation.
Contentious new laws ... Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah proclaims Sharia Law in Bandar Seri Begawan on April 30.Source: AFP
Brunei is the first country in East or Southeast Asia to introduce a sharia penal code on a national level.
Situated on Borneo island, which it shares with Malaysia and Indonesia, the small state already practised a relatively conservative form of Islam compared to its Muslim-majority neighbours, banning the sale of alcohol and restricting other religions.
The introduction of Sharia law will happen in stages. The first stage introduces fines or jail terms for offences ranging from indecent behaviour, failure to attend Friday prayers, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies.
A second phase covering crimes such as theft and robbery is to start later this year, involving more stringent penalties such as severing of limbs and flogging.
Late next year, punishments such as death by stoning for offences including sodomy and adultery will be introduced.
The UN’s human rights office said this month it was “deeply concerned”, adding that women typically bear the brunt of punishment for crimes involving sex.
“It’s a return to medieval punishment,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
“It’s a huge step back for human rights in Brunei and totally out of step with the 21st century.”
The boycott has been given further support by American shoe designer Brian Atwood, who advised fashion industry figures to boycott Dorchester hotels during London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks this year.
“Send a clear signal to their owner, the Sultan of Brunei, that stoning people to death for being gay in Brunei is not acceptable,” he advised his followers on social media.
In response, the hotel chain released a statement to Women’s Wear Daily saying that employees “had no involvement in this religious and political issue”.
“We continue to abide by the laws of the countries we operate in and do not tolerate any form of discrimination of any kind. The laws that exist in other countries outside of where Dorchester Collection operates do not affect the policies that govern how we run our hotels,” the statement read.
Celebrities boycotting Dorchester Hotel Group because of new Sharia laws in Brunei | News.com.au
