The Beverly Hills City Council passed a resolution Tuesday condemning the Sultan of Brunei for implementing Shariah law in the Islamic country.
Celebrities and California residents have launched a boycott against the Brunei-linked Beverly Hills Hotel, a Dorchester Collection hotel chain, ever since Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced the three-year rollout of a harsh Islamic penal code that includes death by stoning for sodomy and adultery.
The council’s resolution calls for the Brunei government to halt the implementation or divest themselves of the Beverly Hills Hotel to separate the fact that “our iconic hotel is under their ownership,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse, NBC’s Los Angeles affiliate reported.
“As a personal individual, I myself will not attend the Beverly Hills Hotel,” he said.
Lisa Vanderpump, a Los Angeles restauranteur who stars on the Bravo series “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Vanderpump Rules,” said: “As a huge spokesperson and advocate for the LGBT community and supporter of equal rights, I find it devastating.”
The boycott has already led to the cancellation of $1.5 million in events, according to a Dorchester Collection statement signed by CEO Christopher Cowdray, NBC reported.
“The introduction of the new law is a political and religious matter which has nothing to with myself or any members of staff of the hotel,” Mr. Cowdray told a local CBS affiliate. “We have done nothing wrong. We have a very, very strong code of conduct. That code provides absolute equality and respect for every employee.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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