Bangladesh opens mosque for transgender hijra community
Members of Bangladesh’s transgender hijra community, who were previously barred from attending regular prayer services, have found solace and acceptance at a new mosque in the Muslim-majority nation, promising worship without discrimination.
Situated near Mymensingh, north of Dhaka, the modest mosque, a single-room structure with walls and a tin roof, serves as a vital community center for a minority group that, despite gaining increased legal and political recognition in recent years, still faces deep-rooted prejudice.
The mosque's inception came after the local hijra community was expelled from an established congregation, prompting the government to allocate land for their new place of worship.
Sonia, 42, shared her heartfelt sentiment, saying, “I never dreamt I could pray at a mosque again in my lifetime.” As a child, she cherished reciting the Quran and even pursued studies at an Islamic seminary.
However, upon embracing her identity as a hijra, or transgender person in South Asia, she encountered rejection when attempting to pray in conventional mosques.
"People would tell us, 'Why are you hijra people here at the mosques? You should pray at home. Don’t come to the mosques,'” Sonia recalled. “Now, this is our mosque. Now, no one can say no.”
Although hijras have gained legal recognition in Bangladesh since 2013, with the option to identify as a third gender, they still confront societal barriers such as lack of property and marriage rights, employment discrimination, and higher susceptibility to violence and poverty compared to the general population.
The establishment of the new mosque, known as Dakshin Char Kalibari Masjid for the Third Gender, marks a significant milestone. Mufti Abdur Rahman Azad, a hijra charity founder, lauded it as the country’s first of its kind, although a similar initiative in another city faced opposition last month.
The mosque’s imam, Abdul Motaleb, emphasizes that the persecution of the hijra community contradicts the
teachings of Islam. “They are like any other people created by Allah,” he affirms. “We all are human beings.
Maybe some are men, some are women, but all are human. Allah revealed the holy Quran for all, so everyone has the right to pray, no one can be denied.”
The mosque not only provides a space for worship but also challenges societal prejudices. Local Tofazzal Hossain, having attended Friday prayers there for two consecutive weeks, remarked that his misconceptions about the hijra community have transformed. “They live righteously like other Muslims,” he acknowledged, underscoring the mosque’s role in fostering understanding and inclusivity.
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