Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres and Jay Leno are boycotting California's Beverly Hills Hotel due to a harsh Islamic law that was installed by the government of Brunei, which owns the hotel.
Several of Hollywood's stars gathered Monday for a demonstration across the street from the iconic hotel to express outrage over the law, which allows harsh punishments for homosexuals and adulterers, CNN reported. The law was passed at the end of April by the Muslim nation of Brunei, which lies on the northern coast of Asia's Borneo Island.
One punishment of the law is death by stoning.
"We're just making people aware," Jay Leno told CNN. "It's not a political issue. This is not something that's debatable...Its' people being stoned to death."
Located on Sunset Boulevard, the Beverly Hills Hotel has been the go-to destination for the glitterati since it opened in 1912. The hotel is owned by the investment group Dorchester Collection, which is owned by the Sultan of Brunei, CNN reported.
The first stage of Brunei's Sharia law issues fines for those who fail to attend Friday prayers or have children without being married, according to the BBC. Other measures include punishments such as amputations for robbery, and death by stoning for sodomy, adultery and homosexuality. Those will be introduced over the next year, the BBC reported.
The Beverly Hills city council already passed a unanimous resolution condemning Brunei's government. Mayor Lili Bosse wants to force the nation to sell the hotel, as well as others that it owns, including the Hotel Bel-Air.
"I won't be visiting the Hotel Bel-Air or the Beverly Hills Hotel until this is resolved," Ellen DeGeneres tweeted.
Several organizations like the International Women's Media Foundation have even canceled upcoming events at the famed hotel.
The chief executive of the Dorchester Collection group slammed the public outcry against Brunei, saying there are many other hotels owned by countries that don't always protect human rights.
"There are other hotel companies in this city that are owned by Saudi Arabia," Christopher Cowdray said according to the BBC. "Your shirt probably comes from a country which has human rights issues."
