A GROWING NUMBER of celebrities are boycotting one of Hollywood’s most famous hotels due to a controversial Islamic penal code introduced by the Brunei government.

Celebrities have been protesting outside the Beverly Hills Hotel over its ownership by an investment group controlled by the Sultan of Brunei.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced last week that he would push ahead with the sharia law which has tough penalties such as death by stoning.

He has praised laws that provide for the stoning of people that are found guilty of adultery and homosexuality.

Protest

Former late-night talk show host Jay Leno, speaking at a small protest outside the sultan-owned Beverly Hills Hotel, said:

“What is this, Berlin, 1933? This doesn’t seem far off what happened in the Holocaust. Come on people, it’s 2014. Evil flourishes when good people do nothing.”

Leno added that they are just “making people aware” adding “it is not a political issue, this is not something that is debatable… it’s people being stoned to death, hello?”

Virgin group founder Richard Branson and Ellen Degeneres said they won’t be patrons of the hotel either, with nine events reported to be cancelled at the hotel so far.

Brandson stated over the weekend that Virgin employees would not stay at the exclusive Dorchester Collection hotel chain, which includes The Dorchester in London and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

“No Virgin employee, nor our family, will stay at Dorchester Hotels until the Sultan abides by basic human rights,” the British billionaire posted on Twitter.

Others who have called for a boycott include comedian Stephen Fry and Sharon Osbourne.

The sultan has defended the implementation of the law, meant to shore up Islam and guard the Southeast Asian country against outside influences.

Additional reporting © -AFP 2014

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