Former Playboy Bunny Coverts to Islam; Says She Also Considered Christianity
Felixia Yeap, who was Malaysia's first and only Playboy Bunny until recently, has announced her conversion to Islam, and said she considered Christianity and Buddhism earlier, "but my heart never felt close to God. My heart never felt touched."
"The best example I am trying to set; is to be a Muslim, a Chinese and a Malaysian," Yeap, who is of Chinese origin, tweeted Sunday.
Yeap, 28, announced her conversion on her birthday on Friday, writing on her Facebook page: "I hope everyone will pray that I will be steadfast and committed in my new journey. Only Allah can repay all those who prayed for my new life."
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According to Malaysian Chronicle, Yeap also wrote in a blog post: "Today is not just my birthday, but also the day that I am born again. The day that I finally return after 28 years of finding the way home."
Yeap said she converted after a seven-month quest to learn about Islam, during which she started wearing the hijab. "From the moment I pledged to wear the hijab, even though I was not a Muslim at heart, until this moment where I am a Muslim at heart who only waits for the official pronouncement, I have gone through many trials and tribulations."
In a blog post, Yeap said she considered converting to other religions in the past.
"I went to Catholic Church every Sunday evening for two years. I've tried to understand Christianity. I've tried to find new meaning in worshiping Kuan Yin and others. I also tried to adopt Buddhist practices," she wrote, as translated by Rakyat Post.
"But my heart never felt close to God. My heart never felt touched. Today is a historic date for me. It's like a rebirth. Incidentally, this year, my birthday falls on the 5th of Ramadan. I'm more excited to know that this date falls on a Thursday, the Prophet Muhammad's favorite day."
Yeap had a stint at the Playboy Club Sands Macau about two years ago, but now she has been modelling Muslimah clothing such as the hijab, according to Malaysia Star.
"I believe I am worth more than just showing off my body. I am more than this. And I don't feel proud if attention–or fame-seeking model wannabes out there look at me as their idol or role model," she said in a blog post earlier, as translated by the Malaysian newspaper.
