Brunei officials learned about sharia enforcement in Aceh before implementing death penalty for LGBT: Ulema

Aceh, the only Indonesian province given special authority to enact sharia laws, has seen numerous instances of human rights violations in their enforcement of their ultra-conservative interpretation of said laws, such as public canings for those caught engaging in premarital and LGBT relations.

Aceh seems to also have had an influence in the making of one of Southeast Asia’s most controversial human rights infringements in Brunei Darussalam, at least according to one of the province’s top ulemas.

The tiny but wealthy kingdom nation yesterday put into effect a new national sharia-based penal code which could see those caught having LGBT relations stoned to death, despite international outcry.

The Aceh Ulema Council (MPU) says Brunei’s new penal code was partly the result of the kingdom’s officials visiting the province to learn about how sharia laws could be implemented.

“Brunei [officials] often came to visit the MPU for discussions. Not just Brunei, but also Malaysia and Thailand. We had discussions and exchanged ideas with them,” MPU Deputy Chairman Teungku Faisal Ali told reporters today, as quoted by Detik.

“We didn’t discuss LGBT specifically, rather the general topic of how Islamic sharia can be implemented to protect the people and to obey the instructions of God.”

Detik noted the existence of a press release from the Aceh government in 2014 detailing such a visit from Brunei officials, in which they learned about the implementation of punishments for violating Aceh’s sharia laws.

In Aceh, LGBT relations are punishable by 100 lashes in accordance to the province’s Qanun Jinayat (Islamic penal code bylaw). According to data released by Indonesia’s Supreme Court today, 373 people were tried in Aceh’s religious courts for morality crimes, which include homosexuality, gambling, sexual harassment, rape and drinking alcohol in 2018.

➤ Take action: Here’s what you can do about gay executions in Brunei

Brunei’s harsh anti-gay law took effect on April 3, 2019, allowing death by stoning for same-sex intimacy and for adultery. You can join international efforts seeking to apply so much pressure on Brunei that it reverses course.

Are boycotts effective?

Excerpts from Boycott Organizer’s Guide at Co-op America:

Public caning in Indonesia's Sharia-ruled Aceh province

A nationwide survey found that business leaders consider boycotts to be more effective than other consumer techniques such as class action suits, letter writing campaigns, and lobbying. Because well-organized boycotts directly threaten sales, company leaders take them seriously (Friedman, 1991) (See Resources.) According to Todd Putnam, former editor of the now-defunct National Boycott News, “Boycotts used to take between five and ten years to get results, but now they take about two. That’s because they’re better organized and get more media attention: corporations recognize the damage potential much earlier.”

A country or state’s government may be involved in objectionable practices.

Suggested Approach: Boycott an industry or company crucial to that government. This is known as an indirect boycott. As a result, organizers hope the company will pressure the government into yielding to the boycotters’ demands. The industry chosen for an indirect boycott should: have strong business and/or financial ties with the country or state government, understand activists’ goals and businesses’ potential in achieving them, and be able to exert substantial pressure on its government.

Example: In opposition to French nuclear testing, the International Peace Bureau called for a boycott of French products. The French wine industry was hit especially hard by the boycott because of its international popularity. According to Bruce Hall, coordinator for the Comprehensive Test Ban Clearinghouse, the boycott combined with the protests had a real impact: the number of tests were reduced by 25 percent. Additionally, French President Chirac committed to signing on to a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. (Source: Erase 76 crimes)

Source: coconuts.co, Staff, April 4, 2019

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