Exploring the Religious Practices of Hijra in Bangladesh A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Religion-related stigma and discrimination towards the transgender community among Muslim countries are historically diversified  and different. Transgender individuals encounter various forms of dehumanisation, such as honour killings, work discrimination,  physical violence, and criminalisation across several Muslim-majority countries (Ghoshal & Knight, 2016). Yip, (2007) argues tierce of  the Quranic legal ordainment is spotted in heteronormative marriages and patriarchal family structures to regulate society. Moreover,  according to the Hadith(oral traditions), “Allah curses gender “impersonators”, and calls for their eviction from the community”  (Etengoff & Rodriguez, 2021. p 1). However, transgender legalisation among Muslim countries is significantly visible recently, though  the acceptance and inclusiveness are diversified. For instance, transgender is classified as „mentally ill people by the Indonesian  Psychiatrist Association (Moran, 2016). On the contrary, Iran developed more positive legalisation about transgender, where the government assists transmen and transwomen‟s surgery ( Najmabadi, 2008; Vafai,2018). Therefore, it is not possible to perceive the  relations between Islam and transgenderism as homogenously, given the context of cultural diversity. Hence, this research intends to  question the stereotype of the relations between Islam and transgender in the context of Bangladesh. Hijra is one of the nonbinary  groups that encounter multiple and diversified forms of prejudice in Bangladesh. There are very few studies at present that address  the religious practice of hijra individuals. Despite the legal recognition of hijra, those people were denied fundamental civil and human  rights such as marriage or inherent property rights. Like many colonised countries, Bangladesh's legal system has its roots in  the British colonial legacy. But, in the case of marriage or inherent property law, Bangladesh follows the religious law of Islam(  Snigdha, 2019, 2021). The Quran does not have specific guidelines concerning transgender, and Muslim countries do not follow any  homogenous law due to the contextual, cultural construction. This research argues, instead of stigmatisation, how and why  contemporary Islamic politics in Bangladesh plays a significant role in hijra inclusion.