The extradition of a transgender beauty mogul from Thailand is being fought

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Malaysia is attempting to extradite a transgender beauty entrepreneur from Thailand on grounds of insulting Islam by dressing as a woman, in a case that has brought attention to the discrimination LGBTQ individuals experience in the Southeast Asian country amid rising conservatism.

Nur Sajat, a 36-year-old entrepreneur and celebrity who founded a lucrative cosmetics firm, fled Malaysia after being prosecuted in January by an Islamic court with dressed as a woman at a religious function.
Sharia law applies to Muslims in Malaysia, and if convicted, Sajat may face up to three years in prison, most likely in a men's facility.

 

Thai authorities apprehended Sajat on Sept. 8 for illegally entering the country.
The deportation process is started, according to a Thai police spokesman, however it may take some time.
Kuala Lumpur ordered Sajat to get counselling after police took action against her on Sunday.

 

“There is no difficulty if [she] admits she was wrong... if [she] wants to return to [her] genuine character.
We don't want to punish [her], we just want to educate her,” Idris Ahmad, a senior government official in charge of religious issues, said reporters, misgendering Sajat.

 

In parts of Asia, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights are severely restricted.
“A man disguising as a woman” is prohibited in Islamic religious rules in Malaysia.
So-called treatments intended at changing a person's sexual orientation are still being carried out, and authorities have raided transgender events.
(According to the Family Equality Council, 20 states and the District of Columbia prohibit "conversion therapy" for minors.)

 

Sajat became a household name in Malaysia as a result of her determination to live as an openly transgender woman.
She starred in an online reality TV series in 2018 that was described as a hybrid between "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and "The Hills," showcasing her life as the CEO of a cosmetics company.

 

According to the Associated Press, the entrepreneur also got death threats when she talked quitting Islam in a video on social media that has since been removed.
Conversions out of Islam are uncommon in Malaysia, where Muslims account for over 60% of the population of 32 million people.

 

Activists claim that if Sajat is repatriated to Malaysia, she will face "severe torture and abuse," and they are supporting her application for asylum in Australia.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), a civil liberties organisation, stated Sajat has been awarded refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and HRW is trying to ensure she is not deported to Malaysia without her will.

The United Nations agency's representative declined to comment, citing confidentiality and security concerns.
Sajat was unavailable for comment, and immigration officials in Canberra did not respond to a request for comment immediately.