The new punishments will be introduced gradually over the next few years and will include severe physical punishments, such as whipping for adultery, cutting off limbs for theft and stoning to death for sodomy and rape.
The first phase includes a ban on eating or drinking in public during Ramadan. This is punishable by fines and imprisonment.
Parts of the law also target non-Muslims. For example, non-Muslims can be penalized for wearing inappropriate clothing that "offends" Islam. Another law is aimed at Muslims who have converted to Christianity. It will be forbidden for Muslims to let non-Muslims look after their children. This means that there is a risk of losing custody of your children if you convert to Christianity. The Muslim parent gets full custody of a child born in a mixed marriage and the non-Muslim party is not mentioned in any documents, not even the birth certificate. Non-Muslims are no longer allowed to share their faith with Muslims and can be fined or imprisoned or both. Likewise, children of Muslims or atheists cannot be taught religions other than Islam, which becomes a problem for the few Christian schools in the country. And just like in Malaysia, non-Muslims will also be banned from using words like "Allah" (God) and "Firman Allah" (Word of God) to refer to the Christian God, and it will be forbidden to bring Christian material into the country.
It's hard to say how much the new laws will affect Christians in the country as it's still early in the implementation phase, but there is great concern from international organizations according to World Watch Monitor.
Henrik Ertner Rasmussen, Secretary General of the Danish European Mission, says that the new development in Brunei could give extra wind in the sails of the Islamist forces that are gaining strength in neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia. In Brunei, it is outright illegal for Christians to call God "Allah", despite the fact that this is the very word that has been used for centuries by native Christians who speak Malay and the closely related Indonesian language. God is called "Allah" in the Bible in Malay and Indonesian, and in Malaysia, the attempt to ban Christians from using that very word has in recent years become a cause that the Islamists in the country want to promote and which is used to create hatred and strife between Christians and Muslims in the country. Therefore, we must call for prayers for the Christians in Brunei and neighboring countries that they may have the wisdom to deal wisely with their non-Christian fellow citizens and that the joy of being a Christian may shine clearly through them.
