‘It’s Dangerous to Go Out Now’: Young, Gay and Scared in Brunei

THE OBSERVER: Draconian new laws have spread unease rather than outright panic in a population that is used to finding ways around legislation

A day after it became legally possible to be stoned to death for having gay sex in Brunei, 21-year-old Zain* got a bitter taste of the new reality.

Walking down the street in skinny jeans and high-heeled boots, a flamboyant anomaly in the conservative sultanate, the university student became a target.

“I saw this van about 50 metres away,” said Zain, who is gay. “When the driver saw me, the van accelerated, just to run me over, but I dodged it. I was like, ‘Bitch, what the hell was that?’”

Last week Brunei – a tiny tropical nation on the island of Borneo, a former British protectorate that is home to 420,000 people – introduced harsh new sharia laws, including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, and amputation of limbs for theft. » | Kate Lamb in Bandar Seri Begawan | Saturday, April 6, 2019

The Guardian View on Brunei and Stoning: Don’t Leave It to Celebrities to Act

THE GUARDIAN: Brunei’s shocking new penal code must be challenged – through deeds as well as words. Britain’s responsibilities are clear

Brunei’s introduction of new laws allowing stoning for adultery and sex between men has sparked international outrage. Elton John and George Clooney’s calls for a boycott of luxury hotels owned by the tiny south-east Asian kingdom have grabbed the spotlight. The United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has condemned the “cruel and inhuman” measures, as have the EU, Australia and others.

The punishment is only one of many horrifying changes in a penal code which also covers apostasy, amputation as a punishment for theft and flogging for abortions. Lesbian sex is punishable by 40 strokes of the cane as well as jail. In some cases children who have reached puberty are subject to the same penalties as adults; younger ones may be flogged. The sharia code was first introduced in 2013, and was supposed to be enacted gradually; following an outcry the government did not bring forward its harshest elements until now. Many suspect that the impact of declining oil revenues on public spending has left Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the longest-ruling absolute monarchs, keen to bolster support among conservative elements. » | Editorial | Thursday, April 4, 2019

Elton John Joins call for Boycott of Brunei-owned Hotels

THE GUARDIAN: Singer follows George Clooney in protest at sultanate’s death penalty for gay sex and adultery

Elton John has joined George Clooney in calling for a boycott of nine Brunei-owned hotels over the sultanate’s new death penalty laws for gay sex and adultery.

“I commend my friend, George Clooney, for taking a stand against the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry taking place in the nation of Brunei – a place where gay people are brutalised, or worse – by boycotting the sultan’s hotels,” the singer wrote on his Twitter page late on Saturday.

The 72-year-old, a veteran gay rights campaigner, said his “heart went out” to staff at the hotels, but that “we must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable”.

The nine hotels mentioned by Clooney, in the US, Britain, France and Italy, include London’s exclusive Dorchester and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. » | Agence France-Presse | Sunday, March 31, 2019

George Clooney: Boycott Sultan Of Brunei’s Hotels Over Cruel Anti-Gay Laws

DEADLINE: George Clooney has a long relationship with Deadline, often on matters beyond film and television. In a guest column, he calls for the immediate boycott of the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Hotel Bel-Air and six others to protest the imminent legalization of laws that make it open season on the LGBTQ community in Brunei.

The date April 3rd has held a unique place in our history over the years. Theologians and astronomers will tell you that Christ was crucified on that date. On April 3rd Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan, arguably the greatest postwar intervention in the history of man. The first portable cellphone call was made on April 3rd. Marlon Brando was born on that day.

But this April 3rd will hold its own place in history. On this particular April 3rd the nation of Brunei will begin stoning and whipping to death any of its citizens that are proved to be gay. Let that sink in. In the onslaught of news where we see the world backsliding into authoritarianism this stands alone. » | George Clooney | Thursday, March 28, 2019

Maldives Woman Sentenced to Death by Stoning Wins Reprieve

The Supreme Court in the Maldives, where the case was
annulled on Sunday night

THE TELEGRAPH: Unusually harsh sentence for mother of five convicted by local judge on remote island of Gemanafushi in the Maldives overturned by country's top court

The Maldives' highest court has overturned an unprecedented sentence of death by stoning for a woman convicted of adultery, a crime in the Muslim island nation, media reports said on Monday.

The woman, identified by local media as a mother of five, was convicted by a local judge on a remote island in the Maldives, a popular tourist destination that has seen a rise in Islamic extremism.

The Haveeru news site said the woman had confessed to the crime after giving birth on the remote equatorial islet of Gemanafushi, about 250 miles south of the capital Male.

The Supreme Court annulled the case on Sunday night, ruling that the judge had failed to consider the legal as well as Islamic procedures of the nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims, the Maldives Independent website said.

The Maldives, a popular Indian Ocean honeymoon destination, observes elements of Islamic Sharia law as well as English common law.

Sex outside marriage is against the law in the Maldives, although the ban does not apply to tourists visiting the upmarket holiday destination. » | AFP | Monday, October 19, 2015

IS Stones To Death Man & Woman In Mosul For Adultery

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: In yet another display of how the Islamic State (IS) implements the Sharia law, a resident of Mosul narrated another recent incident of stoning to death of a man and a woman for adultery. The witness was a clothing store owner whose outlet is near a government building where the incident happens.

Abu Mohammad al-Lahibi, the shop owner, said the woman was in her 20s and married. Lahibi was not sure if the woman was given a fair trial since none was held before the stoning.

The two were handcuffed, while the woman wore a full face veil called niqab. Twelve IS militants stood before the condemned couple and had bags filled with stones. They started to throw stones on the two. On the third stone, the “adulteress” was killed, while the man died after her, recounts Lahibi. » | Vittorio Hernandez | Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Cage Director Asim Qureshi Refuses to Condemn Stoning of Adulterous Women

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: This Week presenter Andrew Neil appears shocked at failure to refute Sharia law

The director of the Muslim rights group Cage has repeatedly refused to condemn the stoning of adulterous women by Islamic extremists.

Appearing on the BBC’s This Week programme, Asim Qureshi was asked about a series of positions advocated by a Muslim scholar he has described as a mentor, including female genital mutilation, domestic violence and the stoning to death of women found guilty of cheating on their husbands.

Last month, Mr Qureshi was criticised for describing Mohammed Emwazi, the Islamic State executioner known as Jihadi John, as a “beautiful young man”.

Pressed by Andrew Neil, the show’s presenter, to condemn a series of extreme positions, including claims

that Jews are descended from pigs and homosexuality is evil. He repeatedly refused to engage, saying: “I’m not a theologian.” (+ video) » | Rosa Prince, Online Political Editor, Video source: BBC / This Week | Friday, March 06, 2015

Private School Chief Linked to Islam Trojan Horse Plot Says: Stone All Adulterers to Death

Ibrahim Hewitt, chairman of Al-Aqsa school,
said that all adulterers should be stoned to death
and fornication should be punished with 100 lashes

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Fees at the school where boys and girls are segregated are £1,800 / School chairman claims fornication should be punished with 100 lashes / Ibrahim Hewitt runs the controversial Leicester school with his wife Adeba

A Muslim hardliner who says adulterers should be stoned to death and that gay men and fornicators should be lashed 100 times has set up an Islamic school that has received almost £1million of taxpayers’ money.

Ibrahim Hewitt, one of Britain’s most prominent Islamic firebrands – who also heads a charity branded a ‘terrorist’ organisation by the US – is the founder and chairman of trustees of the Al-Aqsa school in Leicester, which teaches 250 boys and girls aged between three and 11.

He has vilified homosexuals as paedophiles and said a man can take on a second wife if his first fails to satisfy him sexually. Mr Hewitt has published his views in a book on Islam, which he claims has sold more than 50,000 copies in Britain.

The preacher is the founder of another controversial organisation called the Association of Muslim Schools (AMS), whose leader has been accused of orchestrating a plot in Birmingham called ‘Operation Trojan Horse’ in which Islamic extremists have allegedly taken over 25 state schools in the city. » | Tom Worden and Abul Taher | Sunday, April 20, 2014

Ibrahim Hewitt: What does Islam say? »

Adultery Is Good For Your Marriage – If You Don’t Get Caught, Says Infidelity Website Boss

Noel Biderman is the Canadian founder of Ashley Madison, a
controversial but globally[-]popular adultery website that connects
married men and women and discretely enables them to have affairs

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As global membership to the world’s biggest infidelity site soars to over 24 million, its founder explains the international appeal of adultery

He receives regular death threats, websites are devoted to his demise, the Vatican has sent letters of complaint and the Queen of Spain has sued him.

The man in question is not a criminal, a terrorist or a dictator. Instead, he is the businessman behind the world’s biggest website for extramarital affairs.

Noel Biderman is the Canadian founder of Ashley Madison, a controversial but globally popular adultery website that connects married men and women and discretely enables them to have affairs.

Famed for its catchy motto – “Life is short. Have an affair” – the dating service is free for women but paying for men. Its array of features include virtual “winks”, instant messaging and “travelling” services for members seeking an affair during business trips.

Its mobile app uses GPS technology to track down the nearest available potential lover. » | Danielle Demetriou, Tokyo | Saturday, April 12, 2014

Afghan Women Protest Over Woman's Public Execution
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dozens of Afghan women's rights activists took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against the recent public execution of a young woman for alleged adultery, which was captured in a horrific video.

The 22-year-old victim was shot dead as dozens of men cheered in a village about 60 miles north of the capital Kabul.

The execution was blamed by the authorities on Taliban militants and caused global outrage, with world leaders denouncing the Islamists, who are waging an insurgency against the Western-backed government.

"We want justice," the protesters, almost all women, shouted as they marched from the women's affairs ministry towards the UN headquarters in Kabul. » | Source: AFP | Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Sudanese Woman Sentenced to Stoning [to] Death Over Adultery Claims
THE GUARDIAN: Intisar Sharif Abdallah tried without access to lawyer and is being detained with four-month-old baby, prompting outcry

A young mother found guilty of adultery in Sudan has been sentenced to death by stoning, prompting an outcry from human rights campaigners. Intisar Sharif Abdallah was tried without access to a lawyer and is being detained with her four-month-old baby, according to Amnesty International. Amnesty puts Abdallah's age at 20; Human Rights Watch says she may be under 18. Her family is appealing against the execution and it is unclear when it will be carried out. Abdallah, who may be under 18, only admitted to the charges at a later hearing after her brother reportedly beat her. The conviction was based solely [?] rests on this testimony. The man held with her reportedly denied the charges and was released.

Abdallah is said to be shackled by the legs and in psychological distress, unable to understand the nature of her sentence. Her other children are being cared for by family, who are [of] filing an appeal in Ombada. Jean-Baptiste Gallopin of Amnesty's Sudan team said: "The case is emblematic of the failure of the Sudanese judicial system. Intisar Sharif Abdallah was tried without access to a lawyer or a translator, despite the fact that Arabic is not her native language. She was convicted solely based on a testimony she gave under duress. She's being detained with her four-month old son, in a state of deep psychological distress. We call on the Sudanese authorities to stop the execution, overturn her stoning sentence and release her immediately and unconditionally. Read on and comment » | David Smith in Johannesburg | Thursday, May 31, 2012

Woman Sentenced to Death by Stoning Confesses 'Sin of Adultery' to Iran TV
THE GUARDIAN: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani also blamed activist Mina Ahadi for spreading story around world

An image of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani held during a support rally in Rome. Photograph: The Guardian

Iranian state TV broadcast a statement last night by the woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, in which she described herself as a "sinner".

Appearing on TV for the third time since her case caught the world's attention, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, also accused Mina Ahadi, an activist of the German-based International Committee Against Stoning (Icas), of spreading her story around the world.

The report also broadcast purported statements by two men whose faces were blurred. State TV identified them as Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, 22, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, both of whom were arrested last month. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Iran Stoning Woman Calls Herself a 'Sinner' on State TV
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iranian state television has broadcast footage of a purported statement by an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in which she calls herself a "sinner". >>> | Monday, November 15, 2010

Vatican: Stoning in Iran Adultery Case 'Brutal'
THE NEW YORK TIMES: VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican on Sunday raised the possibility of using behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try to spare the life of an Iranian widow sentenced to be stoned for adultery.

In its first public statement on the case, which has attracted worldwide attention, the Vatican also decried stoning as a particularly ''brutal'' form of capital punishment.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the Catholic church opposes the death penalty in general.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in 2006 of adultery. In July, Iranian authorities said they would not carry out the stoning sentence for the time being, but the mother of two could still face execution by hanging for adultery and other offenses.

Her son, Sajad, told the Italian news agency Adnkronos that he was appealing to Pope Benedict XVI and to Italy to work to stop the execution.

Lombardi told The Associated Press that no formal appeal had reached the Vatican, but hinted that Vatican's diplomacy might be employed to try to save Ashtiani. >>> The Associated Press | Sunday, September 05, 2010

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to Be Lashed Over Newspaper Photograph
THE GUARDIAN: Iranian woman facing death for adultery to be whipped despite Times apologising for using picture of another person

Activists hold a solidarity rally for Sakineh Mohamadi Ashtiani who was convicted of committing adultery and sentenced to being stoned to death. Photograph: The Guardian
Iran has reportedly sentenced Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani – the 43-year-old Iranian woman who faces execution after being convicted of adultery – to 99 lashes in prison for "spreading corruption and indecency" after allowing an unveiled picture of herself to be published in a British newspaper.

The claim, which could not be confirmed, comes from her family and a lawyer representing Mohammadi Ashtiani, based on reports from those who have recently left the prison in Tabriz where she has been held for the last four years.

The latest charges against Mohammadi Ashtiani – if confirmed – would appear to suggest that the Iranian authorities have been stung by the international outcry her case has attracted through the campaign of her family and supporters in the media, and could be read as a warning that it is Sakineh who could suffer from the protests.

What has made the latest charges against her even more extraordinary is the fact that the unveiled photograph in question, published by the Times newspaper on 28 August, was not actually of Sakineh but of another woman, for which the paper has since apologised.

In reality, the woman pictured was Susan Hejrat, an Iranian political activist living in Sweden whose photograph had been published on a website along with an article she had written about Sakineh's case, perhaps causing the confusion. In its apology, published on Friday, the Times said that the photograph had been obtained from Mohammad Mostafaei, one of Sakineh's lawyers, who had claimed that he received the picture from her son, Sajad – which he has denied.

Instead, in an open letter today, Sajad Ghaderzadeh accused the Iranian authorities of using the mistaken picture as "an excuse to increase their harassment of our mother".

He added: "My mother has been called in to see the judge in charge of prison misdemeanours, and he has sentenced our helpless mother to 99 lashes on false charges of spreading corruption and indecency by disseminating this picture of a woman presumed to be her [Sakineh] without hijab." >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Peter Beaumont | Saturday, September 04, 2010

leJDD.fr: Nouveau châtiment pour Sakineh : Toujours menacée d’exécution, la mère de famille iranienne a été condamnée à 99 coups de fouet. >>>Karen Lajon - Le Journal du Dimanche | Dimanche 05 Septembre 2010

Taliban Stone Afghan Couple to Death for Adultery
THE GUARDIAN: Amnesty International condemns first confirmed stoning in Afghanistan since fall of the Taliban in 2001

Taliban forces have stoned a couple to death for adultery in a public execution.

With Nato and UN officials in Kabul poring over the latest Taliban proposal to establish a joint commission to investigate civilian casualties, officials in the north of the country were detailing a killing that Amnesty International described as the first confirmed stoning in the country since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

Militants ordered the stoning after a married man and a single woman in Dasht-e-Archi district, Kunduz province, were accused of eloping.

Amnesty International called the stoning a "heinous crime" that showed the Taliban and other insurgent groups "are growing increasingly brutal in their abuses against Afghans".

"Amnesty International has warned that the Afghan government should not sacrifice human rights, particularly the rights of women and minorities, in the name of reconciliation with the Taliban and other insurgent groups," said a spokesman for the group. >>> Associated Press | Monday, August 16, 2010

Ashtiani Outrage Spurs Iran to Commute Stoning Sentences to Hanging
THE GUARDIAN: Tehran carries out series of judicial reviews but lawyer fears women who have not attracted media attention will be executed

Iran appears to be quietly changing the sentences of Iranians awaiting death by stoning to hanging after international outcry following the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two.

Mariam Ghorbanzadeh, 25, who was six months' pregnant and miscarried after being beaten up in Tabriz prison this week, was initially sentenced to death by stoning for adultery but her sentence has been commuted to hanging in a rapid judicial review. The decision is thought to have been driven by the Iranian authorities' desire to avoid further international condemnation over the barbaric punishment.

According to Iranian law, officials could not carry out her sentence while she was pregnant. Speaking to the Guardian, her lawyer, Houtan Kian, who represents Mohammadi Ashtiani and two other women kept in Tabriz prison convicted of adultery, said: "My fear is that Iran executes Mariam and those others whose cases have not attracted media attention."

Another of Kian's clients, Azar Bagheri, 19, was imprisoned at the age of 15 after her husband accused her of having an extramarital relationship. Bagheri was on death row for adultery but her sentence was commuted to 100 lashes after Mohammadi Ashtiani's story came to light. Although Bagheri's death penalty was handed down four years ago, the sentence could not be carried out until she was 18 years of old.

"All these women are convicted for adultery but Iran is trying to change their sentences after Sakineh's case has embarrassed them," Kian said. (+ video) >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Thursday, August 12, 2010

Why Have Western Feminists Been So Muted in Their Criticisms of Iran?
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – TOBY YOUNG: The fate of the 43-year-old Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning took a sinister turn yesterday when she appeared on Iranian state television to confess to her “crimes”. Her lawyer fears she will now be executed imminently, probably hung by the neck until she is dead.

Many human rights groups have criticised the Iranian authorities for their brutal treatment of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, including Amnesty International and the International Committee Against Stoning. The mother of two has already received 99 lashes for committing adultery and according to her lawyer, who has fled the country after a warrant was issued for his arrest, she has been beaten and tortured in jail. Yet the response of feminists in the West has been strangely muted.

Hillary Clinton lost no opportunity to brandish her feminist credentials during her campaign to become the Democratic Party’s Presidential nominee in 2008 and even went so far as to blame her failure to beat Barack Obama on the “glass ceiling”. Unfortunately, the concrete ceiling of Ashtiani’s jail cell hasn’t inspired any comparable rhetoric. All she has said is that she’s “troubled” by Ashtiani’s case.

At least Hillary Clinton was able to bring herself to mutter this mild rebuke. No other prominent feminist has spoken out about Ashtiani’s case, unless you include Yoko Ono who has signed the petition calling for her to be freed. We’ve heard nothing from Germaine Greer, nothing from Gloria Steinem, nothing from Jane Fonda, nothing from Naomi Wolf, nothing from Clare Short, nothing from Harriet Harmen.

We know why, of course. Almost no one on the left, with the honourable exception of Christopher Hitchens, dares to breath a word against any Islamic country for fear of being branded “Islamophobic”. Thus, a brutal dictatorship is able to torture and murder thousands of innocent women, safe in the knowledge that the self-styled keepers of the West’s conscience will remain silent. Continue reading and comment >>> Toby Young | Friday, August 13, 2010

Related >>>

Condamnée à mort par lapidation, elle avoue tout à la télévision
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: IRAN | Une Iranienne, dont la condamnation à mort par lapidation pour adultère a suscité l'indignation mondiale, a reconnu avoir été complice de l'assassinat de son mari.

Elle a admis avoir commis un adultère.

Dans une interview diffusée mercredi soir lors d'une émission politique dénonçant la "propagande des médias occidentaux", une femme présentée comme Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani reconnaît qu'un homme avec lequel elle était en relation lui avait proposé de tuer son mari, et qu'elle a laissé cet homme commettre le meurtre lors duquel elle était présente.

Cette femme, qui parle en azéri (turc) et dont les propos sont traduits en persan, est enveloppée d'un tchador noir qui ne laisse apparaître que son nez et un oeil. Le responsable de la justice de la province d'Azerbaidjan oriental où l'affaire s'est déroulée en 2006, affirme lors de l'émission que Mme Mohammadi-Ashtiani a également endormi son mari en lui faisant une piqûre avant que le meurtrier ne l'électrocute. >>> ATS | Jeudi 12 Août 2010

Liens en relation avec l’article >>>

THE GUARDIAN: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani 'confesses' to murder on Iran state TV: Lawyer says Ashtiani was tortured before interview recorded in Tabiz prison, and fears execution imminent >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Thursday, August 12, 2010

Iranian Woman Sentenced to Be Stoned: Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo speaks out against the court-ordered stoning of a woman in Iran.


Condemned Iranian Woman Denounces Lawyer


Protesters Rally for Iranian Women

Iran Stoning Woman Offered Asylum by Brazil's President Lula
THE GUARDIAN: Offer raises hopes Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, will be spared

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has stepped into the international outcry over Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, by offering his country as a refuge, a move which raised hopes her life will be spared.

The surprise offer prompted an immediate reaction from Iran, which considers Brazil a key ally. Iranian officials softened their tone with Ashtiani's family over the weekend and official media reported full details of the story for the first time.

"I don't think Iran can ignore Brazil as easily as it ignored other countries," Ashtiani's son, Sajad, told the Guardian today. "It is very important that Brazil, as one of Iran's most significant allies in the world, has offered a haven for my mother."

He hoped Turkey, which also carries influence with Tehran, would add its voice. "No countries in the world can have such impacts that Brazil and Turkey can have on Iran now. These two countries can save my mother's life," said Sajad. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro, and Rory Carroll | Sunday, August 01, 2010

Iran Stoning Sentence Woman Asks to Be Reunited with Her Children
THE GUARDIAN: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's supporters call for support to free her from prison, after sentence was changed to hanging

The Iranian woman whose sentence of death by stoning was commuted to hanging after an international campaign, today sent a message from inside Tabriz prison calling for further support so that she might be reunited with her children.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, said she thinks of nothing other than hugging her children and that she was mentally broken when authorities flogged her 99 times in front of her then 17-year-old son, Sajad.

She thanked the world for launching the campaign for her release but said part of her "heart is frozen". "Every night before I go to sleep, I think who would throw stones at me?", she said.

The message was read by Mina Ahadi, of the Iran Committee against Stoning (ICAS), at a press conference in Conway Hall, in London, this morning.

"Put Sakineh's picture beside Neda Agha-Soltan's and don't let Iran repeat what it did with Neda again with Sakineh," said Ahadi, an Iranian human rights activist. Agha-Soltan was shot to death in the aftermath of Iran's disputed election in June 2009 and became a symbol of Iran's post-election rebellion. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Friday, July 30, 2010