Members of Bangladesh's transgender hijra group, who’ve been expelled from different locations of worship, have been welcomed into a brand new mosque within the Muslim-majority nation with the promise that they will worship with out discrimination.
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The modest construction – a one-room shed with tin-plated partitions and a roof – is a brand new group centre for the minority, which has gained larger authorized and political recognition lately however nonetheless faces deep-rooted prejudices.
“Any more, nobody can deny a hijra entry to prayer in our mosque,” group chief Joyita Tonu stated in a speech to the packed corridor.
“No one can chortle at us,” added the visibly emotional 28-year-old, carrying a white scarf over her hair.
The mosque at Mymensingh, north of the capital Dhaka on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, was constructed on land donated by the federal government after town's hijra group was expelled from a longtime non secular group.
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“I by no means thought I might ever be capable of pray in a mosque once more,” says Sonia, 42, who cherished reciting the Quran as a toddler and studied at an Islamic seminary.
However when she got here out as a hijra, as transgender persons are generally known as in South Asia, she was not allowed to wish in a mosque.
“Individuals stated to us: 'Why are you hijra folks right here within the mosques? It is best to pray at house. Don't come to the mosques,'” Sonia, who makes use of just one title, informed AFP.
“It was a disgrace for us, so we didn't go,” she added. “Now that is our mosque. Now nobody can say no.”
– 'Like some other folks' –
The Hijra are benefiting from rising authorized recognition in Bangladesh. Since 2013, members of the Hijra group have been allowed to formally establish because the third gender.
A number of girls have entered politics in Bangladesh. For instance, in 2021, a transgender girl was elected mayor of a rural city.
However hijras nonetheless battle to achieve recognition and acceptance. They haven’t any property or marriage rights.
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Additionally they usually face discrimination within the labor market and are more likely to expertise violent crime and poverty than the common Bangladeshi.
Hardline Islamist teams have additionally criticized the popularity of transgender Bangladeshis at school textbooks, and have organized demonstrations to demand that the federal government abandon its efforts to incorporate transgender folks within the curriculum.
Mufti Abdur Rahman Azad, founding father of a hijra charity, informed AFP the brand new mosque is the primary of its form within the nation.
An analogous initiative deliberate in one other metropolis was halted final month after protests from locals, he added.
Dozens of native hijra girls have donated money and time to assist construct the Dakshin Char Kalibari third-gender masjid, which opened this month.
There may be additionally a cemetery, after a neighborhood Muslim cemetery refused to bury a younger hijra girl on the grounds final 12 months.
The mosque's imam, Abdul Motaleb, 65, stated the persecution of the hijra group goes in opposition to the teachings of his religion.
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“They’re like all different human beings created by Allah,” the cleric informed AFP.
– 'Nobody may be denied' –
“We’re all human beings. Some could also be males, some could also be girls, however they’re all human beings. Allah has revealed the Holy Quran for everybody, so everybody has the appropriate to wish, nobody may be denied.”
Motaleb stated different Bengalis might study from the religion and power of the hijra.
“Since I’ve been right here on this mosque, I’ve been impressed by their character and actions,” he stated.
The brand new mosque is already tackling prejudices. Native resident Tofazzal Hossain, 53, has held Friday prayers there for the second week in a row.
He stated dwelling and praying with the hijra group has modified his “misconceptions” about them.
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“Once they got here to dwell with us, many individuals stated many issues,” he informed AFP.
“However we’ve realized that what folks say isn’t true. They dwell righteously, identical to different Muslims.”
Tonu hopes to develop the straightforward mosque to accommodate extra folks.
“God keen, we’ll do it very quickly,” she informed AFP.
“Tons of of individuals can pray collectively.”
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