Transgender: Unraveling the truth

Transgender: Unraveling the Truth!

Let’s understand a few simple things before we begin unraveling the truth behind the reality of Transgenders.

The gender is decided as soon as the zygote is formed by fusion of sperm and egg within female’s body. This is due to the sex chromosomes inherited from the mother and father. Male child inherits Y chromosome from father and X from mother and form XY baby boy while the female child inherits XX from father and mother which makes her a baby girl. The formation of sexual organs and hormones, within intra natal life as well as secondary sexual characteristics in puberty are all due to these sex chromosomes.

Any malformation in this due to problems with in the developing system of the baby or any external factors such as tumors producing different hormones in mother leads to sexual ambiguity of genitalia in fetus. Sometimes this problem is evident at the time of birth while in some cases it becomes visible near puberty when body starts producing sexual hormones for the development of secondary sexual characteristics.

1-INTERSEX/HERMOPHRODITE:

Children having abnormality at birth which results in sexual ambiguity are called intersex or hermaphrodite and there is difference in the intensity of such cases. A true hermaphrodite is the one who has two genitals. A man’s penis and a woman’s vagina. And he shall be either male or female like we discussed earlier due to their genealogy. The intersex birth is a medical condition that falls under DSD (disorders of sexual development) and its rate is 1 in 2000 to 1 in 4500 births.

2-CIS GENDER:

These are the people who are born complete male or female and they are agreed to their sexual identity like you and me.

3-TRANSGENDER:

People who are born with perfectly normal sexual organs and hormones (either male or female), but as they grow older they become unhappy with their gender due to psychological problems, social pressures, fashion trends or personal likes and dislikes. This is called Gender Dysphoria and they decide their gender upon their own choice. In case of men they start acting and dressing up like women and vice versa. Sometimes they fail to decide which of the either two are they and end up calling themselves Non Binary. This point of view about their inner and outer contrast may change and vary with time, ideology and situation. Transgender can simply change their habits and looks, to appear part of the opposite gender community or they might take it to advance level by taking hormones or undergoing surgery to completely transform themselves.

TRANGENDERS AND ISLAM:

Islam focuses on the modesty and has strict rules for Hijab, marriage, inheritance and other social, moral and personal interactions between male and female. If a man starts thinking and acting like a woman he would go and interact freely with other women and at the time of marriage would want to get married to a man considering himself a woman. Even after getting the hormones or surgery done his genetic sex chromosomes will stay that of a male and only his physical appearance would change. This act then becomes what is called ‘homosexuality’. Islam strictly forbids it as it’s a major sin upon which the nation of Prophet Lut (may Allah be pleased with him) was destroyed. 

Allah says in Quran:

-“And (remember) Lut (Lot), when he said to his people: ‘Do you commit the worst sin such as none preceding you has committed in the ‘Alamin (mankind and jinn)? Verily, you practice your lusts on men instead of women. Nay, but you are a people transgressing beyond bounds (by committing great sins)’” surah al-A’raf :80-81

-“Verily, We sent against them a violent storm of stones (which destroyed them all), except the family of Lut (Lot), them we saved in the last hour of the night.” Surah Al-Qamar :34

-The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘There is nothing I fear for my ummah more than the deed of the people of Lut.’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1457; Ibn Majah, 2563)

-Allah’s messenger said, “Cursed are those men who imitate women and those women who imitate men” (Bukhari 5885)

ISLAM AND INTERSEX:

The scholars in Islam have declared that these people can choose the dominant  gender within themselves and the society should be God fearing in their case and let them live respectfully at social, personal and professional levels.  These are the people who are badly treated and mocked in our society by calling them out with insulting names.@

Allah says: “And that He creates two mates – the male and female” [53:45]. Then there is no third creation. So basically the intersex or hermaphrodite is an anatomical or functional developmental abnormality during intrauterine period just like cleft lip, polydactyl, heart defects, Down syndrome, blindness etc.

Intersex is either ambiguous (true/complete) or unambiguous (pseudo/false/incomplete). If it is unambiguous also called pseudo (false) hermaphroditism, such as the masculine signs are dominant (presence of testis in scrotum or abdomen, urinating from male organ, growth of moustache & beard, ejaculation etc.), then the rulings for men is applied on him. He should dress up and behave like a man in every aspect of life and all the rules of Shariah including laws of inheritance of that for a male is applicable on him. However, if she has female signs dominant (presence of ovaries, vagina, urinating from female urethra, menstruation, enlarged breast etc.) then the rulings for women apply and she should completely dress up and behave like a female.

 If there is no apparent way to distinguish his masculinity from his femininity – then this is an ambiguous hermaphrodite (true), with sexual organs of both male and female or no sexual organ at all.

In both the cases modern science has various tests that can be done at genetic level and follow ups with professionals from medicine, surgery and psychology to diagnose the more inclined gender. For their treatment different surgical/hormonal treatments can be given so as to shift this inclination to full form gender presentation so he shall not remain hermaphrodite, and becomes either a man characterized by features of masculinity or a female with characteristics of femininity. However this should be remembered that there could be a possibility that they might not be able to reproduce like normal people.

A SERIOUS MISCONCEPTION SPREADING IN THIS TIME:

As we have read that transgender are made perfect by the creator but they are not satisfied with their creation. This is the promise made by Iblees mentioned in the Quran:

“And I will mislead them, and will arouse in them false desires, I will command them to slit the ears of the cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah” (4:119)

 The transgender laws that we see in developed countries are not made for the protection of rights of the intersex/hermaphrodite. They are made for the protection of homosexual while the intersexes are medically and physically at the same point where they were centuries ago and in reality they make a very small proportion of the society.

First world countries do not have problems such as found in third world countries when it comes to these people. These laws are only meant to promote homosexuality, vulgarity and what we can call as animal instincts where sexual gratification comes above everything else. 

Normalizing people with psychiatric issues as being healthy individual instead of helping them is just like making necrophilia (sex with dead body), pedophilia (sex with small children),incest (sex with blood relative), sexual sadism (sexual pleasure by pain and suffering), bestiality (sex with animals) etc. acceptable too which is not only harmful for the social and mental health of society as these are all the unnatural acts which are slowly becoming acceptable by twisted definitions and clauses by human rights organizations, but also is a cause of calling on for Allah’s wrath just like the nations in the past have been destroyed due to their transgressions. May Allah protect us and our children from such grave sins and guide us to the path of the righteous. Ameen.