MUSLIM religious bodies in Malaysia must reflect on their actions in hunting down cosmetics entrepreneur Nur Sajat to the point of making her feel unsafe that she had to seek asylum in Australia, Lawyers for Liberty said. 

The rights group’s coordinator, Zaid Malek, said the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s (JAIS) action in appointing 122 officers to track her down is akin to treating her as a wanted criminal while ignoring the protection she is entitled to under the Federal Constitution. 

“It is high time the religious bodies in our country reflected on their actions,” he said in a statement today. 

“This is not just about the way Islam is enforced or interpreted in Malaysia but also how Islam would be perceived globally. We must stop performative religious acts and focus instead on showcasing the humanity that Islam truly preaches.” 

LFL said the bullying faced by Nur Sajat shows that religious enforcement in the country does not exhibit the humanity and compassion preached by Islam.

“The lack of mercy or humanity shown to Nur Sajat is an embarrassment to the religion and is counter to the oft-spun narrative that we practise religious moderation in Malaysia,” it said. 

It added that the businesswoman had no one to turn to for help, leading her to ultimately flee the country. 

In a livestream on social media website TikTok yesterday, Nur Sajat said she is currently residing in Canterbury, a suburb located 12km from Sydney, New South Wales, and she is looking to start afresh. 

In an Instagram post, she uploaded a picture of the Australian flag and captioned it as “new life”.

Nur Sajat has been on the run for months since being summoned to appear in a shariah 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. While in Thailand, she had applied for asylum, which was granted. 

In her livestream yesterday, Nur Sajat said she has relocated to Australia as the country “respects human rights” and has vowed to never return to Malaysia. – October 19, 2021.