LDS Church Won't Be Sending Missionaries To Brunei Anytime Soon; Brunei Implements Full Islamic Sharia Law

On April 30th, 2014, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced that full Islamic Sharia law will take effect in Brunei beginning on May 1st, and, in contrast to what was first revealed when the decision was initially announced in October 2013, most of it will also be applicable to the 20 percent of Brunei who are not Muslim. Implementation will be in three phases; here's a video report via the Brunei Times:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYsqIA6vAdI#t=38



Phase 1: Effective immediately, Brunei residents will face conviction by Islamic courts and fines or jail terms for offenses like pregnancy outside marriage, failure to perform Friday prayers, disrespecting Ramadan, and propagating other religions. This, of course, precludes any proselyting by missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or any other religious denomination, which means it would be pointless for the LDS Church to call people to fill full-time missions in Brunei.

Phase 2: Takes effect 12 months later, and covers offenses for theft and alcohol consumption by Muslims, punishable by whipping and amputations.

Phase 3: Takes effect an additional 12 months afterward, in 2016, and will introduce the death penalty, including by stoning, for offenses including adultery, sodomy and insulting the Koran or the Prophet Muhammad.

Because the laws will also apply to non-Muslims, the United Nations has spoken out against it. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights specifically denounced the new system for applying the death penalty to so many non-capital offenses. In addition, Emerlynne Gil, Southeast Asia legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists, opined that several of the penalties, kike amputation and stoning, constitute torture under international law. But Brunei's top Islamic scholar, Awang Abdul Aziz, denied any suggestion the system would lead to extremes, persecution or cruelty, saying that the physical penalties would not be applied indiscriminately, and Brunei officials have said there will be a high burden of proof required to sentence suspects to harsher punishments. This means foreigners who violate Sharia would likely be expelled from the country rather than face amputation or caning. A Christian priest in Brunei, who declined to be identified, said he was concerned by the development, but hoped the new system would be enforced less strictly than set down in the written law.

According to the Brunei Times, Brunei Attorney General Datin Hjh Hayati doesn't want to focus on punishments. Instead, she cited three clear distinctions of the Syariah Penal Code that impressed her that are absent in civil courts:

-- Witnesses’ testimonies in hudud (fixed penalty) cases and qisas (retaliation) must be fair and cannot contradict one another.

-- Before the punishment is carried out, the victim’s inheritor can forgive qisas or retaliation either with compensation (diyat) – the court or government cannot intervene in this affair.

-- If caning is prescribed, it suffices that the hand is raised slowly and caning strike on the back is done evenly, not just on one area.

LDS Church Presence in Brunei: At this time, there is no official LDS presence in the country. Informally, Brunei is assigned to the Miri East Malaysia District, and there are two small groups of Mormons, mostly expatriate workers, who meet in private homes in Bandar Seri Begawan and Kuala Belait. These tow groups are believed to total less than 100. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve visited with members from Brunei during the Miri East Malaysia District conference in early 2010. While formal proselyting has been discouraged, members have not been discouraged from sharing their beliefs privately with friends and acquaintances so long as they're not Muslims.

Consequently, the upgrade to full Sharia does not, in my opinion, pose an immediate threat to the existing prerogatives of Mormons in Brunei, although no missionaries will be deployed there from outside the country. However, the sultan is an absolute ruler, and one must wonder what would happen if the sultan was overthrown. We've seen the barbarities committed by the so-called "Syrian rebels" in their territory. The sultan may be resolved to keep things within bounds, but he's not exactly immortal. Prayer for the safety of Mormons and other non-Muslims would be in order.

LDS Apostle L. Tom Perry Journeys To Guam To Organize Their First Stake

The Territory of Guam has reached a major milestone in LDS history; on December 12th, 2010, the first stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be organized there. And as is the custom, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be there to preside over the transition. This story has not shown up in LDS sources yet; the only stories have been published by Guam News Watch and KUAM News. The LDS Church Growth blog earlier reported that it will be called the Barrigada Guam Stake.

Elder L. Tom Perry will preside over the creation of Guam's first stake; until now, it had been a Mission District. Elder Perry told KUAM News, "Before, a mission person had the responsibility. Now the local leadership will take over. A stake president will be called. He'll be given the keys of authority to reside over this particular unit and then the whole organization will be in existence under a local unit instead of a mission president". News video embedded below:



The selection of Elder Perry to do the honors is particularly inspired, since he has a personal connection to the area. He served in the Pacific with the Marine Corps' 2nd Division during World War II. Elder Perry originally enlisted in the Navy after serving a Mormon mission, but during the time of enlistment, they asked for three volunteers to switch to the Marines. Because he though the Marine unifrom looked better than the Navy uniform, he stepped forward and switched.

According to official LDS statistics, there are 1,971 Church members on Guam, scattered among four congregations. In addition, there are 735 Church members listed under the Northern Mariana Islands. Most are in Saipan, but some may be on Rota and Tinian. The media reports do not make it clear whether the boundaries of the new Guam Stake will be limited to Guam, or if they'll also encompass the Northern Mariana Islands. Elder Perry plans to visit Saipan after his visit to Guam. The LDS Church Growth blog reports that the current Guam Mission District does include a branch in Saipan, so the Saipan branch may become part of the new Guam Stake.

LDS servicemembers first carried the Gospel to Guam during World War II. Afterwards, the bulk of Church growth was initially fueled by American military personnel assigned to the two major installations on the island, Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam. Open houses were frequently held, but attracted few indigenous residents. Finally, in May 1977, the first Chamorro couple to join, Don Calvo and his wife, Maria, were baptized. The Agat Branch was created in 1978, and in 1979, Herbert J. Leddy, the first missionary of Chamorro lineage, was called to the Tennessee Nashville Mission.

LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks Visits Vietnam, Meets With The Vice-President Of The Fatherland Front In Hanoi

Update June 12th: LDS Church News published a much more detailed story about this visit. The delegation also visited Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Hong Kong.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is heading up a delegation visiting Vietnam this week. On May 25th, 2010, Elder Oaks met with Ha Van Nui, the vice-president of the Fatherland Front. None of the official LDS media, either the Church News or the Mormon Times, have picked up the story yet; the only report is from the English-language Viet Nam News.

The meeting took place in Vietnam's capital city, Hanoi. Ha Van Nui told Elder Oaks that Viet Nam had 32 recognized religious organizations, all of which could become members of the Fatherland Front (the LDS Church is not officially recognized, but is permitted to operate). Ha Van Nui said he hoped the LDS Church would obey Vietnamese law as well as operate under its stated principles. In response, Elder Oaks said the Church and the Front had a lot of similarities in doing charity work, uniting people and building solidarity. Elder Oaks said one of the Church's principles is to obey the law (12th Article of Faith), and that the Church is interested in the prospect of joining the Front. The LDS Church's official database lists no entry for Vietnam; according to the media story, the Church was introduced to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) more than 25 years ago and now has about 1,000 members. The Ho Chi Minh City branch has a Facebook site HERE. Some of the American troops who served in country during the Vietnam War were LDS and undoubtedly introduced people to the Gospel while in country.

According to a February 2010 Church News article, there is also a branch in Hanoi, and President Gordon B. Hinckley visited both branches in May 1996. The article provides considerable more detail about the history of the Church in Vietnam. An August 1980 Ensign article also provides more information. A June 2009 Mormon Times article chronicles the experiences of Stanley and Mavis Steadman, of Salt Lake City, along with LaVar and Helen Bateman, of Provo, the first two missionary couples called to serve in Vietnam in 1993.

According to Wikipedia, the Fatherland Front was founded in February 1977 as an umbrella group of pro-government mass movements in Vietnam, and has close links to the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese government. It is an amalgamation of many smaller groups, including the Communist Party itself. The Front is described by the Vietnamese government as the political base of people's power. It is intended to have a significant role in society, promoting national solidarity and unity of mind in political and spiritual matters. Many of the government's social programs are conducted through the Front. Recently, it has been given a role in programs to reduce poverty. The Front is also responsible for much of the government's policy on religion, and has the ability to determine which religious groups will receive official approval.