New Fatwa allows transgender marriage

A transgender person with “visible signs of being a male” may marry a woman and vice versa for a transgender having “visible signs of being a female”, said the fatwa issued by a little-known religious body on Sunday.

However, it also mentioned that a transgender person with “visible signs of both genders” may not marry anyone.

It said that robbing transgender of their share in inheritance was unlawful, adding that parents who deny their transgender children of inheritance were actually “inviting the wrath of God”.

In this matter, the clerics also called upon the government to take action against such unfair parents.

The fatwa while addressing common societal approaches towards transgenders termed ‘haraam’ (forbidden) an act that intends to “insult, tease, or humiliate” them.

The fatwa was issued by clerics including Pir Karamat Ali, Imran Hanfi, Masoodur Rehman, Abu Bakr Awan, Khalil Yousafi, Tahir Tabassum Qadri, Gulzar Naeemi, Gul Ateequi, Abdul Sattar Saeedi, Khizarul Islam and Intikhab Noori.

Regarding last rites, the fatwa also declared that funeral rituals for a transgender person would be similar as for any other Muslim man or woman.