Source: Open Doors, April 3, 2019
[On April 3], the full extent of Shari law [went] into effect in Brunei. The newest and third phase of the law is difficult news for Christian converts who are expected to have to go into deeper hiding in the small Sultan-ruled country on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo where conversion from Islam is illegal and punishable by death.
Since first introducing Sharia law in 2014, the Sultan, 72-year-old Hassanal Bolkiah, has been encouraging Islamization of the country where Muslims make up about two-thirds of the country’s population of 434,000. He has called for “stronger” Islamic teachings in Brunei.
The new laws—what some have called “cruel and inhuman”—carry the death penalty for a variety of offenses, including apostasy (converting from Islam), adultery, robbery, rape, sodomy and insulting the Prophet Muhammad (blasphemy).
The first phase, which covered crimes punishable by prison sentence and fines, was implemented in 2014. The new phase covers crimes, such as theft, punishable by amputation and stoning.
The law mostly applies to Muslims, including children who have reached puberty, though some aspects will apply to non-Muslims. For example, those who “persuade, tell or encourage” Muslim children under the age of 18 “to accept the teachings of religions other than Islam” are liable for a fine or jail. Individuals who have not reached puberty but are convicted of certain offenses may be instead subjected to whipping.
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