A millionaire trans businesswoman who fled Malaysia after being charged with blasphemy has legally changed her gender status in Australia, where she has been granted asylum.
Nur Sajat, 36, fled Malaysia after she was called in front of a sharia court on a blasphemy charge for dressing as a woman at her beauty centre during a religious event in 2018.
In September 2021, Nur was detained in Thailand and fined for an undisclosed immigration offence.
There were reports that the Malaysian authorities were calling on the Thai government to have Nur extradited to face trial for the blasphemy charge.
Nur told her 411,000 followers on Instagram that she was terrified of going back to Malaysia, as she had received countless death threats in the country.
The Harian Metro reported at the time that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had received an application from Nur for refugee status in Australia.
A few weeks later, Nur posted a picture of Australia on her Instagram page with the caption ‘New life’ and added ‘Citizen of Australia’ to her biography on the site.
When one of her followers asked why she chose Australia, the influencer replied: “Because they respect human rights.”
She also suggested that she would never return to Malaysia and claims to have liquidated all her assets in the country.
On Instagram Live on 22nd February, the trans influencer said she felt “reborn” after legally changing her gender status in Australia.
Nur wrote: “I am very happy that everything is over. I have changed my gender. I feel comfortable being a woman. I appreciate that this country understands my situation.
“I can finally be myself. I am proud to be a woman. I felt like I was reborn, which is something I wanted. I hope people will accept me for who I am.”
She added that she will continue using her name ‘Nur Sajat’ and that she turns 37 years old today (23rd February).
The trans influencer’s rise to online stardom began in 2015 with the successful launch of her company Nur Sajat Aesthetic.
Nur went viral when she posted a video on Instagram stating: “(Anti-trans people) made me want to quit the religion. Because we didn’t do anything wrong but people harshly blame us for being bad.”
According to Human Rights Watch, transgender people in Malaysia “face arbitrary arrest, physical and sexual assault, imprisonment, discriminatory denial of health care and employment, and other abuses”.
