May 1, 2014 will be significant in the history of the lush and sleepy Southeast Asian state of Brunei.
On that day, the Sultanate enacted potentially harsh shari’a legal codes, following instructions by the country’s 67-year-old absolute monarch. Protests by Hollywood stars boycotting the Beverly Hills Hotel chain partially owned by Brunei authorities ensured that Brunei’s dramatic move has hit the international media.
Brunei has not often captured the headlines since the 15th and 16th centuries when it controlled vast domains in Borneo and the region of the southern Philippines. The march of history turned against the Sultanate, and by the start of the 20th century it was a British protectorate, managed by a British resident.
