Our code of Ethics, as real estate professionals emphasizes equal opportunity and equal housing opportunity. To obtain and renew our licenses, it is required that we regularly review this ethical foundation, and those who do not abide by this code can lose their licenses.
Given our busy schedule, we were not able to attend the Club E Luxe conference in Paris this year. What made us proud is that this organization moved the venue of the conference from the Meurice Hotel to the Park Hyatt in Paris, in protest of the recently enacted Sharia laws by the Sultan of Brunei in his country. The Sultan owns the Dorchester Hotel Collection, which includes the Meurice Hotel. Here in Southern California, he owns the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Bel Air hotel.
The Sharia as explained by CNN “Islamic criminal law is set to include punishments such as flogging, dismemberment and death by stoning for crimes such as rape, adultery and sodomy.” Worldwide protests followed which included the United Nations, whose spokesperson for Human Rights, Rupert Colville, expressed in a briefing, "Under international law, stoning people to death constitutes torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is thus clearly prohibited."
Moving an event is an expensive undertaking, as it involves the loss of a deposit and scrambling to find another location. The prestigious Fashion Prize Award usually held in London’s Dorchester hotel has been canceled. In the last two months several organizations have canceled their events at the Beverly Hills Hotel, including the Beverly Hills Bar Association. The City of Beverly Hills went as far as passing a resolution urging the government of Brunei to divest itself of the Beverly Hills iconic hotel.
We must note that the Sultan has the right to pass any law he wants in his country. However, he is operating businesses in the United States, where our laws clearly state equal opportunity. We can express our concern by not patronizing his businesses and voting with our dollars.
Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-
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