Bangladesh opened its first mosque for transgender hijras who practice the Muslim faith.
Hijras were officially recognized as a "third gender" in South Asia in 2013, however they were mostly excluded from prayer services at other mosques.
The new mosque near Mymensingh was built by volunteers on land donated by the Bangladesh government after the city's hijras were barred from other congregations, per Al Jazeera.
Joyita Tonu, the community's leader said that "God gifted us this by his own hands" after expressing joy over having an exclusive place to pray and a designated cemetery for the hijras to be buried in upon death.
Another member, only known as Sonia described being banned from praying at a local mosque when coming out as a hijra, one of the oldest transgender communities in the world.
"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 said. "It was shameful for us, so we didn’t go. Now, this is our mosque. Now, no one can say no."
A local nearby the community, Tofazzal Hossain, said he enjoyed spending time with the hijras and that the community has changed his "misconceptions" about them.
"They live righteously like other Muslims,” he said.
Mufti Abdur Rahman Azad, the founder of a hijra charity, said the new mosque was the first of its kind in the country after a similar concept in another city was abandoned last month due to protests from the locals.
The hijras also still face backlash from Islamist groups who have demanded the government exclude them from education materials. They also lack property and marriage rights in the country.
Hijras were officially recognized as a "third gender" in South Asia in 2013, however they were mostly excluded from prayer services at other mosques.
The new mosque near Mymensingh was built by volunteers on land donated by the Bangladesh government after the city's hijras were barred from other congregations, per Al Jazeera.
Joyita Tonu, the community's leader said that "God gifted us this by his own hands" after expressing joy over having an exclusive place to pray and a designated cemetery for the hijras to be buried in upon death.
Another member, only known as Sonia described being banned from praying at a local mosque when coming out as a hijra, one of the oldest transgender communities in the world.
"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 said. "It was shameful for us, so we didn’t go. Now, this is our mosque. Now, no one can say no."
A local nearby the community, Tofazzal Hossain, said he enjoyed spending time with the hijras and that the community has changed his "misconceptions" about them.
"They live righteously like other Muslims,” he said.
Mufti Abdur Rahman Azad, the founder of a hijra charity, said the new mosque was the first of its kind in the country after a similar concept in another city was abandoned last month due to protests from the locals.
The hijras also still face backlash from Islamist groups who have demanded the government exclude them from education materials. They also lack property and marriage rights in the country.
The new mosque’s imam, Abdul Motaleb, said the persecution of the hijra community goes against his faith. “They are like any other people created by Allah,” he said.
“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."
