Muslim-majority Bangladesh opens holy site for transgender hijra community: ‘never dreamt I could pray at a mosque again’

Hijra are the beneficiaries of growing legal recognition in Bangladesh, which since 2013 has officially allowed members of the community to identify as a third gender

They are often discriminated against in employment and are much more likely to be victims of violent crime and poverty than the average Bangladeshi

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Members of the transgender community offer Friday prayers during Islam’s Holy fasting month of Ramadan in the first mosque for the third gender of Bangladesh Muslim-majority nation. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:18pm, 30 Mar 2024Updated: 9:01pm, 7 Apr 2024

Kicked out of other prayer services, members of Bangladesh’s transgender hijra community have been welcomed at a new mosque in the Muslim-majority nation with the promise of worship without discrimination.

The humble structure – a single-room shed with walls and a roof clad in tin – is a new community hub for the minority, who have enjoyed greater legal and political recognition in recent years but still suffer from entrenched prejudice.

“From now on, no one can deny a hijra from praying in our mosque,” community leader Joyita Tonu said in a speech to the packed congregation.

“No one can mock us,” added the visibly emotional 28-year-old, a white scarf covering her hair.

Joyita Tonu, a transgender community leader, takes a selfie with members of the transgender community outside a mosque for the third gender. Photo: AFP

The mosque near Mymensingh, north of the capital Dhaka on the banks of the Brahmaputra river, was built on land donated by the government after the city’s hijra community were expelled from an established congregation.