Syed Faiz on Inter-sex (Hijra) in Islam; A response to Gay Star News

Gay Star News published an article which slated a progressive Muslim in his attempt to liberate the Hijra community in India after years of being shunned from society. Here is a response to Jean Paul Zapata's article which was written on the foundations of mis-interpretations and strong stereotypes of the Asian and Muslim culture. 


Firstly there are a few words I have changed in the translation yet these are not major errors of my sort it is just to make things clear on my behalf.

It is alleged that this video has gone “viral on youtube”.  This is an over sensationalised statement when one takes into account that the video has only received 436 views and the majority of these are since the article has been written. The paltry level of views received would hardly constitute viral. 

The term ‘Hijra’ which is used to describe ‘Intersex’ (हिजड़ा) and not ‘Trans’ people. The definition for intersex people according to the Oxford dictionary is “the abnormal condition of being intermediate between male and female; hermaphroditism.”

The official definition of ‘trans’ however is “a person who strongly identifies with the opposite sex and may seek to live as a member of this sex especially by undergoing surgery and hormone therapy to obtain the necessary physical appearance (as by changing the external sex organs)”.  The definitions however clearly show that the difference between a transsexual and an intersex individual is that an intersex person has an “abnormal” condition at birth unlike ‘trans’ who, as we know, may alter their physical self later on.

It is interesting that no objection has been raised against the Oxford English dictionary referring to intersex as ‘abnormal’.  One wonders if this is because there is little media interest in showing the official English dictionary to be bigoted in any way when there are much richer pickings to be had by misinterpreting and sensationalising what is in essence a very positive message for intersex people. It is also important to clarify that Mr Syed says that an intersex persons genes are a ‘defect’. There is a clear difference between calling a person a defect and calling a persons gene a defect. The video when translated clearly shows that Syed is not calling the intersex individual a defect at all. When this matter was raised with Syed Faiz he states” I have not called eunuch as defect but I said some hormonal / psychological change or in general term for urdu speaking person as "defect" and i called defect not of person.” In his statement he further adds “I have not called a eunuch as a person to be defect”.

The writer of the article is incorrect on countless things. Another reporter for Gay Star News  Omar Kuddus states “Hijra, a slang term in Hindu, is the only word to describe a trans individual.” The term Hijra cannot possibly be the “only word to describe a Trans individual” as this term describes Intersex people not Trans people.  It is shockingly worrying that a person who professes to have an official and expert opinion in this area does not know the difference between these two very different communities. The nature of this article has caused attention from italian sites too Musalmani Omosessuali in Italia also raised concerns about the issue. 

The description of the IRC is indeed correct as the IRC defines its self as an:

“Islamic Research Centre (IRC) is a Non-profit organization, established in 2001. IRC aims to convey the true message of Islam (Peace) to Muslims as well as Non-Muslims with wisdom & beautiful preaching and to remove misconceptions about Islam among the masses and to provide social and welfare assistance to poor and needy in the field of Education, Health & Charity.”

Websites such as the Harvard Business School state that “In March 2008, Harvard Business School appointed Anjali Raina as Executive Director of the India Research Centre.” . This therefore shows its credibility as an organisation. The question asked by a member of the audience is “how can Intersex/ Hijra who are neither male nor female fit into Islam in terms of Sharia Law? This question is answered quite thoroughly and progressively by the scholar without any misconceptions or any wrong hadiths etc. 

“Syed continued, emphasizing that 'They are Allah's creations, expect there are some physiological and hormonal difficulties. They have changes in their bodies, what we call "gene defects" in our language.'” 

The scholar did make this comment but the writer of the article appears to firstly give no credit to the fact that English is not the Faiz Syed’s first language.  The tone and use of the word defect in this video has no negative connotations attached to it.  In fact, the purpose of him saying this is in response to the question of how people become intersex.  This comment is not made due to the scholar’s trans-phobia as this article does not deal with Tran-sexuality it clearly deals with intersex a biological and physical condition a person is born with.
In the interview, Syed quoted the sayings of the prophet Muhammad, also called the Hadith, to support his position on the Hijra community.

Syed is misinterpreted by Jean Zapata again when he states that the scholar uses a hadith “to support his position against the hijra community” as Syed states “they are not bad, but the Hadith says that those who are "dirty", you must get rid of from your home, house and village.” Yes, Syed does in fact say this and I can also accept the fact that this in a Hadith.  Yet this Hadith is again not talking about Trans people, it is about intersex or to the nearest Arab to English translation talking about “effeminate men” (mukhannath).  Siraj Scott argues in his book ‘Islam and homosexuality’ that “this incident is not self-explanatory”.  He explains further about when this incident happened. One day the Prophet’s wife was with a Mukhannath (intersex). 
The intersex called Hit was talking graphically about the physical appearance of a particular women and the prophet overheard this. On hearing this, the prophet said “do not admit him into your female’s presence and therefore he was kept out”. As you can see this hadith is in fact true depending on how strict one wants to be with translation yet the prophet is referring to particular type of Intersex people who talk graphically about women and therefore they are “dirty” in there speech. It would be an over generalisation for Syed to state just because one Mukhannath was expelled from the prophets house then all Hijras are to be treated the same. Therefore Syed clearly states that “only the dirty ones are forbidden”.

“Because of their defect they are not like, or act like, men or women, and because of that they work day and night sexually.” This is a heinous misquote as what is actually said is that Hijras are capable of working very hard day and night and this may have some link to the fact that they may have excessive energy which they may not be able to release sexually.  There is no link made to Hijras and working in the sex trade.  In fact, the scholar states that they should be kept within society as an integral part as it is only when they are caste out that they are forced to turn to immoral and dirty acts.

In many predominantly Muslim countries, including Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, homosexuality is considered a crime punishable by death. Some countries such as Iran go so far as to encourage sex changes for homosexuals to force them to have a gender-normative sex life.

In regards to the comments about “predominantly Muslim countries” and there legal status on homosexuality. I feel that it is inappropriate and futile for me to respond to this as this is completely out of context as the article is firstly talking about India, secondly about trans (despite it misinterpretation of the term Hijra) and thirdly Syed is not discussing the issue of homosexuality he is discussing the topic of Intersexuality within Sharia law.
The BBC article reads: 'The government even provides up to half the cost for those needing financial assistance and a sex change is recognized on your birth certificate'. As an orientalist and sympathiser of Edward Said. I would like to point out that this country provides trans people with rights to sex change etc. Yet, as soon as countries such as Iran take the same stance it is seen as a trans-phobic action by the government.

The interpretation of the message in this video has been grossly misconstrued.  The term Hijra has been misinterpreted as referring to Trans and gay people when in fact it refers to Intersex people.  There seems to be a preconceived notion that all Muslim cultures are the same so the argument switches between the treatment of gay people in Iran, Nigeria and Yemen to the life of Hijras in India is dealt with in the same breath when in essence they have no link.  The broad brush generalisation of cultures is not only presumptuous it is also dangerous.  I would encourage the editor to have this video translated verbatim by a qualified interpreter and printed in full.  It will then become clear that this is an extremely positive and forward thinking stance on the subject of intersex people.  The scholars final words are that intersex people have the same status under Islam and before God as any other Muslim and for those that consider themselves to be like men should be given a place with the pious men and those that consider themselves more like women should be given a place with the pious women.  Finally, if the subject was researched, you would see that in India, Hijras have a sacred status and are thought to have God-like powers. 

When asked to clarify who this video was about and what was his personal belif about Hijras he Said clarifies “They are human being with equal rights in society and society should not be treated them badly as is done in general with these people and due to our bad treatment they form different community, and about the Hadith which I said is about those eunuch which are bad should not be kept for working in our home (but it does not means that they should be completely boycotted), and my video was for clarifying doubt about eunuch in society not to degrade them. The video has nothing to take with transgender, lesbian, gay or others. 

On confronting Gay Star News about the article the editor/director has since published another article clarifying the errors made by the reporters and published the this article on behalf of Imaan an LGBT  Muslim organisation and my self. 

Rughum And Najda By Samar Habib

Rughum and Najda is a tale of two women living different lives, living in a patriarchal world in which they fall in love and dream of living happily ever after, but does the cliché ever come to plan?

Before reading the novel I had an abstract notion that the Middle East was a fantasy world of riches, gold and powerful rulers. A world with large castles and bustling markets quite similar to the land of Telmar in the Narniaa books, or even the setting of Aladdin for those who have been deprived of the fantasy world of C.S Lewis . The story of Rughum and Najda somewhat revived my preconceived notion of that ancient Middle East yet also matured my understanding of the way the world actually is - rigged with oppressive power structures, discrimination, injustice and tainted with male domination.

The story is set in the scorching heat of the city of Baghdad, a couple of hundred years after the demise of the Prophet Muhammed and the spread of a new Abrahamic religion of Islam. In the opening scene young teenager Rughum is being treated by a sheikh to ‘produce a reduction in her male like-behaviour’. Already scarred by the treatment in her delicate youth she is hastily married off to an old man whom she fails to please sexually due to her hearts’ desire for something she can’t really explain - a desire she cannot seem to fulfil with her loving husband and kind master.

Parallel to the life of Rughum is the story of Najda, an adopted daughter and apprentice of Um Saad, who was a devout follower of the Prophet Mani. Um Saad’s ritualistic treatments and ointments for illnesses brings Muslims and non-Muslims alike from far and wide to meet her. It was Rughum’s failure to please her master sexually and Najda’s mother’s famous mystical treatments that collided both women’s worlds together birthing a sordid and forbidden love story. The couple have aspirations and plans of living happily ever after, quite similar to many tales set ‘in a land far far away’, however quite similar to reality, as we know it, Najda’s past quickly catches up with her.

The novel unravels different perspectives on homosexuality in the 9th century, but does not limit itself to discussion of homosexuality but also explores the various degrees of religious acceptance and tolerance. The author quite effectively grabs the reader’s heart strings in such a way that the reader starts to live and understand the world from the point of view of a person who lives amongst the injustice and corruption and feeds on its riches. Therefore, one becomes accepting of certain occurrences in the book without questioning the underlying inequality in the story.

Samar Habib is simply great story writer, it is quite rare that an author can successfully write on a taboo subject, such as homosexuality within Islam, unless it was writing on the punishments a person should face for being gay. The author shows a now little known world in which gender and sexual diversity thrived under an Islamic caliphate. Simply writing about being gay and having faith provides a platform for many writers yet to come in the future. It also clearly shows that it is not religion that is homophobic; it is the people who practice the religion. Samar Habib effectively portrays this by writing an excellent lesbian love story.

The Rohingya tribe of Burma

Ex-British Colony Burma is faced with major international scrutiny for its treatment of the Rohingya people. It has been just less than a year since Burma had its first general election after the military rule from1962-2011. In 1982 Burma passed a citizenship law which as a result meant that 135 ethnic minorities in Burma were left unrecognised by the state. As a result many people were left jobless and without any official recognition by the state.

The Rohingya are a minority tribe in the West of Burma in 2012 it was estimated that there are around 800,000 Rohingya living in the region and according the UN the Rohingya are amongst the most discriminated against race in the world. The official belief of the Burmese military government was that there Rohingya were refugees from neighbouring Bangladesh and therefore they should not be recognised as citizens of Burma.

However it is very much disputed where the Rohingya actually come from. Some historians state that the Rohingya were people from a ship wreck from a trading ship that came from Arabia were as some state that the Rohingya come from Afghanistan. According to Aye Chan professor at Kanda University of International studies the Rohingya term did not exist until the 1950’s yet this does not mean to say that Muslims did not exist in Burma before the Rohingaya as Muslims also known as the Mohammedians came to the country in the 8^th century.

Japanese troops in Burma 1942

During Japanese occupation (1942) a major power vacuum was created when the British pulled out of the Arakan state. This meant that the local Buddhists and Muslims started fighting and so did the Burmese Nationalists against the British loyalists Rohingya resisted the invasion and as a result they were given weapons and aid by the British to try and resist the Japanese movement towards taking power in Burma. The Japanese retaliated by torturing, killing and raping the Rohingya Muslims as a result 22,000 Muslims fled to India. As a way of paying the Rohingya for their loyalty to the British they were rewarded administration in the state of Arakan which was short lived as the state was incorporated with Burma later in 1948. Quickly the Burmese replaces Muslim civil servants and Muslim police officers with Burmese police officers. The refugees who fled to India and Bangladesh ect were seen as illegal immigrants who were not allowed to return back to there home land.

Laws were passed that a Rohinya needs to ask for governments permission to get married and also sign a contract stating that they will not have more than two children according to a BBC report breaching of either of these laws can mean imprisonment for up to 7 years. It is also illegal for the Rohingya to travel without official permission and owning land is also against the law.

For many years the Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh were 28,000 people have been granted official UN refuge and the rest live in horrid and ‘grim’ conditions without jobs and official recognition as people. A large influx of people were also reported to have immigrated to Arabia to grant refuge and start life there but recent Islamic extremism has meant the Saudi Authorities have tightened their borders making it increasingly harder for the Rohingya to travel.

Alleged Murderers of Ma Thida Htwe 

The violence and long lasted tention was reignited on the 28^th of May, It was reported that daughter of U Hla Tin, of Thabyechaung Village named Ma Thida Htwe aged 27 was brutally raped then killed by three Muslim men. These men were later arrested. However on June the 5^th a bus of pilgrims were attacked by local around 300 Taunggup people after reading pamphlets and posters ordering the locals to take notice of the attacks of muslims upon local women the deadly clash left 10 Muslims dead. A separate report suggests that the local culprits of this atrocity allowed all the Burmese and Arakanese ‘looking’ passengers of the bus to disembark the bus and run away and killed the ‘Indian looking’ 10 people.

The killed were:

1.      Tay Zar Myint (30) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

2.      Aung Myint (40) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

3.      Maung Ni (47) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

4.      Ni Pwe (56) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

5.      Aye Lwin (50) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

6.      Tin Maung Swe (53) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

7.      Zaw Nyi Nyi Htut (36) from Myaung Mya Town of Irrawaddy Division.

8.      Aung Ko Ko Kyaw (27) from Myaung Mya Town of Irrawaddy Division.

9.      Driver Naung Naung (30) from Sandoway Town of Arrakan State.

10.  Conductor Nyi Nyi Htun (25) from Sandoway Town of Arrakan State.

Intikhab Alam Suri, President, Human Rights Network states that the Killing in the bus was fuelled by the fact that a 28 year old Buddhist woman embraced Islam after marrying a Muslim of the region and this sparked tensions resulting in the killing of the 10 passengers on the bus.The violence has escalated over the month it is unclear as to how many deaths have occurred however it is clear that there is a clash between sectarian violence and the oppressed Rohingya.

What other countries are doing?

Bangladesh- Bangladesh has increased there border security to ensure that the Rohingya do not cross the borders into Bangladesh this has meant that the country’s government has come under major scrutiny and criticism

Iran- According to press TV Iranian lawyers and professors has urged ‘strong protest against the Myanmar violence to the international community and the so-called “advocates of human rights.”

Pakistan - Moazzam Ali Khan the foreign ministry spokesman issued a press report stating the governments concern over the situation however no action is taken.

United states – Hilary Clinton state secretary has also raised concern about the conflict and asked both sides of the clashes to ‘exercise restraint’.

United Kingdom- Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne told the BBC that the coalition government is  ‘deeply concerned' by the situation and that the UK and other countries would continue to watch developments closely.

It is important to note that the occurrences in Burma that are recorded in this article may not be entirely a fact despite cross references and a wide range of source’s being used.

Stuck Between Two worlds?

Do you feel like are stuck between two worlds? Do you clashing indenties? This book provides a great insight into some one that has been through exactly that.

JJ Marie is a woman from Midwest America however this has not always been the case. JJ Marie was born a male known as Joe Gufreda. As a young boy he played sports and wa a alterboy at the local church and went to school like many ordinary boys of his age. After his marriage to Jo Gufreda he became a devoted father to three children and also a grandmother. Yet a secret lurked in his life and it was constantly haunting him and after years of internal struggle and fighting with herself Jow finally realised her true identity as a female. JJ Marie now works in the business sector and one of the most sucessful trans-women in the world.

The book provides a great insight into the transitional period that Joe went through to become a person now known as JJ Marie Gufreda. The exceptional aspect of this book is that it can it can be related to by many people living a double life and a constant battle to be two people at once. In the house JJ was a woman and outside in the presence of family a friends she was Joe. This deeply affected everyday life for JJ and overcoming the hurdle of becoming a full time female was a hard yet rewarding life change.

Instead of being a book that provides a step by step guide on advice of how to tell people about your sexuality or how to live as the opposite sex in a clinical serioius way JJ appoaches the issue in a much more humourous manner. She helps overcome simple issues in a effective manner with first-hand experience such as how to approach people and what to say. She proves that there is still a way for those who have faith to keep their faith firm and still be religious at the same time. On a personal prospective I can relate to this book more because as a Muslim who is also gay and and this book clearly shows that LGBT people can have faith and religion.
This book is highly recommended not just for people who are transexual or going through the phase of it but also for LGBTQ, it answers many questions for people who have been caught in a limbo between two identities.

Le Smoking Women in what was Mens clothes

Before the birth of Yves Saint Laurent’s women in suits look, women at work used to wear a long skirt with a high waist, usually accompanied by a long coat or a fur jacket. This simple feminine look differentiated the dress sense of men and women, they looked and dressed very different until the age of androgynous look which was invented by Saint Laurent with his women in suits look.

In 1966 a leading fashion icon and courtier the Frenchman Yves Saint Laurent made the great invention of the women’s Tuxedo. The three button dinner jacket, worn with a white silk blouse and ‘masculine’ trousers brought about the birth of women dressing smarter and more masculine. Saint Laurent joined forces with German Fashion photographer Helmut Newton to shoot the photograph ‘Le Smoking’.

Not only did it make smoking sexy, it revolutionised the way women dressed. The influences of the photograph have stood the test of time and can still be noticed in the high street today. By breaking the stereotypes of the way women should dress not only did he act as an icon for many feminists but also made an addition to the highly volatile fashion trends that were apparent in 1960s. What better time to bring this daring trend than during the second wave of the feminist movement.

The suited woman look was quickly renamed the ‘power suit’ by many critics and the look quickly spread to women working in Wall Street in New York. Publicised by women like Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger the suit took a whole new turn to the way women dressed both on the catwalk and at work. Twenty years on after the trend was launched, the women’s Tuxedo was renamed by fashion critics as the ‘power suit’. This seen less as a trend and was internalised by many western business women as a way of life and normal dress sense who would of known that the some what controversial photo-shoot of a woman in men’s clothes would change the way women would dress. The look took into its stride a woman’s feminine look yet protected her from the male gaze. Critics may suggest that this idea of the suit providing power to the women is ridiculous, as it suggests that women have to dress like men in order to be in power, however the new trend spread like wild fire in the western world and is still apparent in today’s culture therefore it has surely provided great influence to women’s fashion.

Women in suits are seen in all work-places now and it has taken off as a trent again as a casual dress sense. Michelle Obama the unarguably the most powerful and fashionable women in the world has also taken this women in suits look. Lady Gaga brought back this look in her music video Born This Way. Yes this look may seem like something you would wear on Halloween, but it’s still different, trendy and an off spin of ‘Le smoking’.

Oppression to Liberation – The journey of Peter Tatchell

Peter Tatchell, often known as the rebel with many causes, lives up to his name. He has been called ‘a national hero’ by The Sunday Times and Elton John has praised Peter Tatchell stating he is ‘incredibly brave’’ and that Tatchell is ‘doing good work in a world where most people are too timid’.

After recently meeting Peter Tatchell at the NUS LGBT conference in Manchester I felt it was appropriate to dedicate my article to one of the leading and most influential LGBT campaigners and politicians in the world.

Who would have known that the former employee at Melbourne’s principal department store in 1969 would stage a citizen’s arrest of Robert Mugabe in 1999 and again in 2001. Peter Tatchell has said this courage and strength as a political activist is paralleled by his adrenaline-filled, risk-taking hobbies such as surfing and mountain climbing, as mentioned in a BBC radio interview.

Peter Tatchell hasn’t always been an activist for gay rights. His life of political activism began in 1967 when he was at school. He started campaigning for Aboriginal rights and for the abolition of the death penalty in his homeland of Australia, despite being accused by his head teacher of being “manipulated by communists.”

Refusing to be conscripted to fight in the Vietnam War, in 1971 Tatchell migrated to London, where he became a leading member in the Gay Liberation Front. GLF protested against homosexuality being labelled as a mental disorder and against police harassment.
Peter helped organise the first ever Gay Pride in London (1972).

It is hard to believe but Peter was denounced by homophobic NUS leaders in the early 1970’s for defending LGBT rights. Yet now the National Union of Students is one of the major groups for LGBT liberation in the UK and probably even Europe. In the same period, he was doing his A-levels part time at West London College and went on to do a degree in Sociology as a mature student.

In 1973, Peter Tatchell was arrested for holding the first ever LGBT rights in a communist country, East Germany, as it was then known.

In the early 1990s, Buju Banton released his song ‘Boom Bye Bye’. It was unfortunately quite popular and called for the killing of homosexuals. A campaign was launched, organised by Tatchell, called Stop Murder Music. This campaign was attacked by supporters of Banton who labelled it racist . However, it was also backed by Jamaica’s LGBT movement, J-Flag, and by the Black Gay Mens Advisory Group in London.

Peter Tatchell hasn’t only protested against homophobia and for LGBT freedom. In the run up to the Iraq war, Peter opposed the US-UK invasion but also strongly supported Iraqis opposed to Saddam Hussein’s tyranny. He hoped that Iraqi self-liberation would inspire democratic and left rebellions against other Arab dictators.

In 2007, Tatchell travelled to Moscow for the attempted Gay Pride parade. Together with Russian LGBT activists, he was physically beaten by neo-Nazis. “I’m not deterred one iota from coming back to protest in Moscow,” Peter Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk. He has since returned to Moscow three times to support Russian LGBT campaigners.

Peter Tatchell has also done a lot of work opposing the Israeli Occupation of Palestine and Chinese tyranny. Despite criticisms, Tatchell has defended oppressed Muslims around the world and protested against the hanging of two Iranian youths in 2005. He has also worked with the founders of Al-Fatiha, the world’s first LGBT Muslim organisation. His motto is: “Don’t accept the world as it is. Dream of what the world could be – and then help make it happen.”

* For more information about Peter Tatchell’s LGBT and human rights campaigns: www.petertatchell.net

Imaan announces 5th International LGBTQI Muslim Conference.

Imaan LGBT conference 2012

This year the UK has hosted and taken part in many events around the world including the Olympics, the Diamond Jubilee and also the Eurovision contest despite disappointing results from Engelbert Humperdinck came second to last. What next?

Imaan, a London based organisation for LGBT Muslims internationally is hosting its 5^th ever international conference. The organisation founded in September 1998 supports LGBT Muslim’s from around the world including their families and friends to address issues of sexual orientation within Islam. Not only is the organisation the largest LGBT organisation for Muslims in Europe it Is also the second largest in the world to its sister organisation Al-Fatiha in America.

Imaan is an organisation that is a safe haven for LGBT Muslims to address their sexual orientation without prejudice in a tolerating and friendly environment. The organisation hosts many meetings throughout the year to help people come to terms with the sexuality and faith conflict and more importantly socialise and get to know people who are in the same situation. More importantly the organisation is run by volunteers without funding and is self-sufficient.

The conference to be held on the 24^th of August will bring together people from all around the world hosting a haven for world academics in the LGBTQI and secular world including Christian Jewish, and Baha’i organisations. The organisation is seen as a safe haven by many Gay, Lesbian and Transgender people who struggle with their faith and their sexuality.

The chairperson of Imaan, Tawseef Khan writes, “The announcement of the conference is appropriate, as the questions of how inclusive a faith Islam is and whether its LGBTQI community have a place within it are contentiously discussed by scholars and the mainstream alike. In Imaan, we have worked especially diligently in recent years, on behalf of the membership and are proud to bring a conference to them, which essentially contains the synthesis of our community’s talent and scholarship and the issues we work against daily.”

Due to the fact that many people will not be able to attend the conference a booklet is published with the topics discussed in the conference. This will be made available for people to order soon after the conference. My next article will be about how the conference went ect see you then!

Please visit the website for more information or email me.