“The only truly clashing area is the penal code, and no Muslim has the intention of introducing that to America. The penal code is the area that people in the Western world are worried about — but these are things that aren’t even observed today in most of the Muslim world. Apart from the Taliban and a few places like that, where do you see this happening?” — Ground Zero Mosque Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf
Where else is this happening? Brunei.
“There’s really no such thing as just Sharia, it’s not one monolithic Continuum – Sharia is understood in thousands of different ways over the 1,500 years in which multiple and competing schools of law have tried to construct some kind of civic penal and family law code that would abide by Islamic values and principles, it’s understood in many different ways…” — Reza Aslan
Not really. Everywhere it is implemented today, and everywhere that it has been implemented historically, it has looked pretty much the same.
“Brunei introduces tough Islamic punishments,” from AFP, October 22 (thanks to all who sent this in):
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN : The Sultan of Brunei announced the phased introduction of tough Islamic punishments including death by stoning for crimes such as adultery, in the monarchy”s latest step towards conservatism.
For AFP, you’re taking a step towards conservatism if you institute Sharia punishments, and you’re already conservative — indeed, “far right” — if you oppose those punishments.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah “” one of the world’s wealthiest men “” said in a  speech that a new Sharia Penal Code which has been in the works for years had  been gazetted Tuesday and would “come into force six months hereafter and in  phases”.  ÂÂBased on the details of particular cases, punishments can include stoning  to death for adulterers, severing of limbs for theft and flogging for  violations ranging from abortion to consumption of alcohol, according to a copy  of the code. “By the grace of Allah, with the coming into effect of this legislation,  our duty to Allah is therefore being fulfilled,” said the sultan, now 67 years  old.
An all-powerful figure whose family has ruled the languid, oil-rich country  of 400,000 for six centuries, the sultan first called in 1996 for the  introduction of sharia criminal punishments. ÂBrunei already practices a conservative brand of Islam relative to its  Muslim neighbours in Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia. ÂThe sale and public consumption of alcohol are banned and authorities  closely restrict the activities of other religions.ÂIt was not immediately clear how aggressively the new criminal code, which  applies only to Muslims, would be implemented.Brunei already has a dual-track system combining civil courts based on  British law “” the sultanate was a British protectorate until 1984 “” and  Sharia courts that are currently limited to personal and family issues such as  marriage disputes….