PLAN TO EDUCATE TOURISTS ON DOS AND DON’TS OF SYARIAH

(Foto Source: The Brunei Times) Bandar Seri Begawan, 7 Jumadil Awwal 1435/8 March 2014 (MINA) – Information leaflets on the Syariah Penal Code may be placed at the Brunei International Airport as a way of informing and educating tourists visiting the Sultanate, said a Syariah law briefing speaker yesterday,

Siti Zaliha Hj Abu Salim said the leaflets would raise awareness on the dos and don’ts when tourists visit Brunei.

Responding to a question on the dress code for tourists, she said the Prime Minister’s Office will also brief all travel agencies on the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013, The Brunei Times quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Efforts to provide clear information on the offences will continue once the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 is implemented, especially to foreign visitors, said the Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali senior lecturer during a briefing for about 250 people from non-government organisations.

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Deputy Syarie Prosecutor at the Islamic Judicial Unit Hj Afif Daraina Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Hj Badaruddin said there was also a suggestion to provide in-flight announcements, similar to drug trafficking warning announcements on flights.

“Briefings have been conducted at foreign embassies in Brunei and we hope they will channel the information regarding the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 to their respective countries,” he added.

During the briefing, the speakers said they are setting up a website where the public can get information on the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013. The website is www.kanunsyariah.com.bn.

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Another member of the audience asked whether witnessing zina bil-jabar (rape) on live CCTV feed by four male witnesses (security guards) is enough for the accused to be tried underthe Syariah law.

Hj Afif Daraina explained that witnessing a crime via CCTV by four males does not fully meet the conditions needed for the crime to be tried before the Syariah court.

“Witnessing through CCTV is circumstantial evidence and in the context of civil law, identifying the DNA or semen of the rapist is considered direct evidence, but it does not follow the conditions needed for the case to be tried under hadd where it needs four male witnesses to see the actual rape (penetration),” he said.

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Yesterday’s briefing at the Islamic Da’wah Centre was organised by the Women Graduates Association of Brunei Darussalam with the cooperation of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The participants were from Yayasan Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah’s volunteers, Public Welfare Society, Green Brunei, Pusat Ehsan, the Paraplegic and Physically Disabled Association, Society for the Management of Autism Related issues in Training, Education and Resources (SMARTER), and women groups from villages and mosques, as well as students from higher learning institutions. (T/P09/E01).

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).