Safiey Ilias Malaysian Transgender Millionaire Date of Birth: . Country: Malaysia

1. Safi Elias: Malaysian Transgender Millionaire
2. Rejecting the Mufti's Tea Invite
3. Instagram Response
4. Cosmetic Empire and Glamorous Lifestyle
5. Challenges in Malaysia

Safi Elias: Malaysian Transgender Millionaire

Safi Elias, the glamorous Malaysian transgender cosmetics mogul who has become an Instagram sensation, has been facing pressure from religious leaders in Malaysia to "turn back into a man." The millionaire transgender has refused to be silenced and has hit back at her detractors over their disapproval of her choices.

Rejecting the Mufti's Tea Invite

Last week, Safi declined an invitation for tea from the Federal Territories mufti, Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad, claiming that she had felt pressured in previous meetings with religious figures who had implied she should "act like a man." Safi's decision was sparked by unflattering remarks made about her by Malaysian newspaper Malay Mail.

Instagram Response

On her Instagram account, where she has amassed over 998k followers, Elias wrote: "It's not that I don't want to go see the Mufti... it's the expectations of the public." She added, "There will be people who will expect that after meeting the Mufti, I should become a man again. There will be people who will say that I go there to promote my new song or new product. There will be people who will accuse me of using religion."

Malay Mail also reported that the Mufti had used the masculine pronoun "saudara," meaning brother, when referring to the transgender woman, which Elias likely took offence to.

Cosmetic Empire and Glamorous Lifestyle

Elias has made her fortune in the cosmetics industry, often sharing posts on Instagram about her products and their skin-enhancing benefits. She also flaunts her jet-set lifestyle, posing in bikinis while vacationing in luxurious locations or aboard expensive yachts. Safi shares photos documenting her transition from male to female, appearing increasingly "feminine" with each passing year.

In 2016, she made the decision not to "revert to being a man" after her attempts to conform to Malaysian societal norms failed. Elias admitted that she had been subjected to intense trolling when "trying to be a man" and that she felt an overwhelming need to embrace her true identity as a woman.

She initially chose the name Sophia during her transition, but later reverted to her birth name, Safi.

Challenges in Malaysia

Same-sex relationships are illegal in Malaysia, and the country has seen a rise in intolerance towards transgender people. The past year has witnessed an increase in attacks on transgender individuals, with one transgender woman being murdered in Klang on New Year's Day.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed has dismissed the ideas of the LGBTQ+ community as a "Western import."

Despite the challenges, Elias displays a message on her Instagram page that reads "Be nice to everyone" to all her viewers.