Malaysian transgender tycoon Nur Sajat granted asylum

Cosmetics millionaire, who faces a blasphemy charge for ‘cross-dressing’, hints she is now in Australia, says she is ‘happy and free’ and planning a new shop

She had fled Malaysia and had recently been spotted in Thailand. Activists say it’s a sad day for Malaysia, which was recently voted onto UN’s human rights body

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Malaysian transgender cosmetics entrepreneur Nur Sajat has hinted she is now in Australia. Photo: Instagram

Published: 8:30pm, 18 Oct 2021Updated: 2:27am, 2 May 2023

A transgender businesswoman who fled Malaysia after being accused of insulting Islam by cross-dressing has been granted asylum.

Cosmetics millionaire Nur Sajat, 36, has been on the run for months since being summoned to appear at a sharia court on a blasphemy charge for dressing as a woman during a religious event at her beauty centre in 2018.

Last month, she resurfaced in Thailand, where she was briefly detained, charged and fined over an immigration offence, but was subsequently released and has since arrived in a third country where she has been granted asylum.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, confirmed Nur Sajat’s application for asylum had been accepted, but declined to specify the country: “She is now safe but it’s up to her to reveal where she is.”

On Monday, Nur Sajat herself streamed a live Instagram chat in which she hinted strongly she was now in Australia. She was then asked by a fan why she had chosen Australia and replied: “Because they respect human rights.”

She also said she was never returning to Malaysia and later uploaded a map of Australia with the country’s flag on her Instagram next to the words “new life”. She also changed the location on her account to Sydney, Australia.