'I want to help other mak nyah change' - Safiey Ilias

WHEN a person gains success, that success comes with great responsibility.

And as Muslims believe, that responsibility will be questioned in the Afterlife.

This is the main reason why Safiuddin Ilias or Safiey, a former mak nyah (transvestite), has vowed to change for the better and at the same time tries to influence others to take the same path.

Safiey's transformation became the talk of the town after a series of updates on his Facebook went viral recently.

READ: Former 'mak nyah' shares why he wants to be man again: 'It's a jihad to fight lust'

During an interview on TV AlHijrah this morning, Safiey said he was not bothered about being accused of 'showing-off', as he has an honest intention.

He also plans to join a tabligh group in the near future.

Flashing back to his old life, the 22-year-old said, he had been effeminate since he was around five years old.

But the turning point came during his school years, when he was frequently mocked as mak nyah by fellow students.

"I think that situation developed my ego. I figured, if people are already calling me a mak nyah, I might as well become one.

"I want to prove to them (the girls) that I can be even more beautiful than them," said Safiey.

He said in all honesty, with society labelling and judging effeminate men as mak nyah, it doesn't help them to change at all.

Safiey, who has been conducting businesses since he was 16 years old and achieved millionaire status at just 19, said he intends to help the transvestite community to return to the rightful path.

However, the Pahang-born said he first needed to ensure that he has adequate knowledge on Islam and the right approach in preaching, as practised by Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

Safiey also shared his dream, which is to right all the wrong that he has done in his life.

"I've wasted too much on my life committing sins, now I want to make up for it," he said, shortly before the interview ended.