Brunei has become the first East Asian country to adopt sharia law, despite widespread condemnation from international human rights groups.

The Islamic criminal law is set to include punishments such as flogging, dismemberment and death by stoning for crimes such as rape, adultery and sodomy. The religious laws will operate alongside the existing civil penal code.

During a ceremony Wednesday morning, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, announced the commencement of the first phase of the sharia-based penal code, according to the government’s official website.

The oil-rich kingdom, located on the island of Borneo, has a population of just 412,000 people. The country already follows a more conservative Islamic rule than neighboring Muslim-dominated countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, and has implemented strict religiously-motivated laws, such as the banning of the sale of alcohol.   »»» CNN.com

Shari’ah is NOT a code of laws. It is a juristic foundation on which a system of laws can be built. For example, there has NEVER been complete agreement among Muslim jurists and religious experts on the list of crimes that can be punished by death or on the specific details of when and how extreme sentences can be applied. In many instances, the implementation of so-called “shari’ah law” has opened the door for unequal treatment and the use of extreme measures for political ends.

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