Human rights activists around the world are advocating for the reversal of laws implemented by the country of Brunei, according to The New York Times. In the small, southeast Asian kingdom on the island of Borneo, the Sultan and Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah passed legislation mandating strict Islamic laws on April 3, criminalizing homosexuality and implementing extreme punishments. These laws have been in the works since 2014 and now make it legal to stone to death any LGBTQ person in the country.
The laws come from an interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, which is a guide set by the Quran as well as Islamic scholars. The Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said in a public address Wednesday that he would like to see "Islamic teachings in [the] country grow stronger."
LGBTQ citizens of Brunei are responding to the laws with fear. An ex-Brunei government employee, Dr. Shahiran S. Shahrani told BBC the gay community is "afraid that they might talk to a police officer pretending to be gay. It hasn't happened yet but because of the new laws, people are afraid."
Brunei's anti-gay laws have caused a boycott of nine luxury hotels around the world that are owned by the Brunei government's investment agency. Celebrities like Elton John and George Clooney are urging a boycott of The Beverly Hills Hotel and The Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, which are owned by the Sultan.
The laws extend beyond homosexuality to adultery, abortion, theft and sodomy, which can be punished by flogging or amputation. However, the hatred against homosexuality seems to be gaining the most media attention from celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, who posted a list of hotels to boycott on Instagram Tuesday with the caption:
"Tomorrow, the country of Brunei will start stoning gay people to death," the post stated. "We need to do something now. Please boycott these hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei. Raise your voices now. Spread the word. Rise up."
The words of DeGeneres and other human rights advocates around the world are urging the Brunei government to reverse this decision. Michelle Blanchet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called the situation a "serious setback for human rights protections" in a statement on April 1.
In 2018, Los Angeles County had approximately 50 million visitors, Mayor Eric Garcetti told the Los Angeles Times. The City Controller of Los Angeles, Ron Galperin, is urging visitors to take action on the issue by not staying at Brunei-owned hotel on their visit to LA.
"Do not patronize these hotels. Do not visit these hotels. Do not give them a cent of your money," Galperin told Annenberg Media. "We are going to be working to make sure the City of Los Angeles and our bureau which oversees conventions and visitors do not promote these hotels. We are going to do everything that we can to stand up against this hatred."
The Sultan of Brunei has yet to respond to the uproar of advocates around the globe.
Trevor Keyfauver contributed to this article.