Nur Sajat Kamaruzzaman, a 36-year-old cosmetics entrepreneur, was charged with insulting Islam after being arrested for wearing a baja kurung (a long-sleeved outfit traditionally worn by women in Malaysia) at a private event in 2018.
She escaped Malaysia in January after being allowed to seek asylum in Australia when given refugee status. Kamaruzzaman could face up to three years in prison as the Malaysian authorities view her as a man and, under Islamic law, a man may not dress as a woman. “I had to run away,” she told the BBC from Sydney. “I was treated harshly, I was hit, pushed, handcuffed, all in front of my parents and family.