Conservative Minister Defends “Devout” Sultan of Brunei as Gay Death Penalty Rolls Out

Mark Field, the UK Foreign Office Minister, has defended the Sultan of Brunei in Parliament yesterday (April 4), as international concerns grow over the country’s introduction of draconian Sharia laws – including death by stoning for being gay or committing adultery.

Read our more detailed analysis of the situation in Brunei here.

During a debate in Parliament over whether the small Asian country should be removed from the Commonwealth, Field dismissed these new laws are giving “a misleading impression of what is a friendly and generous place.”

“The Sultan of Brunei has been a great friend of this country over many years,” he added.

“He has, I think, become a little more devout as he has got older, which is one reason why the sharia code—based, of course, on the Saudi Arabian sharia code—has been put in place.

“However, I am hopeful that we can continue to have a positive and constructive dialogue on this issue, with Brunei and with a number of countries that we would like to see making changes in future.”

It is worth noting the Sultan of Brunei has been embroiled in several horrendous sex scandals, including reports that members of his family forcibly kept women against their will in a harem. Mark Field might want to check if “devout” is the right word to use.

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