Via Vice News:

Brunei has become the first east Asian country to adopt Sharia criminal law nationwide.

“Theory states that God’s law is harsh and unfair, but God himself has said that his law is indeed fair,” the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said today.

According to the first phase of the law, those who have a child out of wedlock, fail to pray on Friday or promote religions other than Islam will be forced to go before an Islamic court and could face jail time or fines.

The second phase is set to be implemented a year from now and includes whippings and amputations for crimes such as alcohol consumption and theft.

A year after that, those who commit adultery, sodomy or insult the Prophet Muhammad could face a death sentence.

Brunei, a tiny nation with a population less than the city of Boston, is about 70 percent Malay Muslim and has at least a 15 percent ethnic Chinese non-Muslim minority.

It is one of the wealthiest countries per capita in the world, relying heavily on natural gas and oil exports for its income.