Fifty top Pakistani clerics have declared that trans people have full marriage, inheritance, and funeral rights under Islam.
The religious decree stated that trans people that display ‘visible signs of one of the sexes’ may marry each other, so a female-to-male trans person may marry a woman, or a male-to-female trans person may marry a man. A trans person carrying ‘visible signs of both genders’ may not marry anyone however.
In Pakistan, gay marriage is still punishable by life imprisonment, and trans people cannot marry, but the fatwa is meant as a statement of change. It also declared that any act intended to humiliate, insult, or tease the community is a sin, and trans people should not be excluded from family inheritances or the right to Muslim funereal ceremonies.
Last month in Pakistan a trans woman was shot in her home, which triggered protests across the country. In May, a trans activist was shot and died after being allegedly refused medical treatment for the wounds. In Pakistan, trans people are considered taboo, and thus receive little protection from the law.
“This is the first time in history that Muslim clerics have raised their voices in support of the rights of transgender persons,” stated Qamar Naseem, a trans activist. “But we have to go further for transgender people and the country needs to introduce legislation on it”.
I don’t know much about Pakistani culture, but I know that anyone standing up for a marginalized community, especially in a place where such a thing is taboo, is a step in the right direction for humanity.
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