These were the words of human rights lawyer Siti Kasim, issued in the aftermath of a raid by the Federal Territories Islamic Department (Jawi) on a closed-door dinner hosted by the transgender community last weekend. The dinner also included a mock beauty pageant that some transgenders present, participated in.
In a Facebook message last night, Siti who was present at the fundraising event, posted a 2012 interview featuring former Perlis mufti Dr Juanda Jaya.
In the three-minute video, the mufti spoke at length about the Islamic way of dealing with transgenders, none of which condoned acts of violence or discrimination towards the community.
“Some transgenders, although they may have male parts when scientifically examined, do not carry the male’s XY chromosome. Instead, they have the female’s XX chromosome.
“We already issued a fatwa on this whereby if the transgender is confirmed by an expert in the field to have female chromosomes, then the man has the right to choose to live as a woman.
“This is acceptable as it is proven he has a female’s being,” said Dr Juanda.
If, from a biological aspect the transgender is shown to be all male, but psychologically he is proven to be of a different gender, then according to Dr Juanda, his choice to live as a woman should be open for consideration, provided there is expert testimony to back up the man’s claims.
The former mufti said that even if a man’s decision to be a woman lies simply with his own personal desire to do so, it would still not be a good enough excuse for society to inflict any form of punishment on him.
“We should see those experiencing gender confusion as individuals to be helped, not punished. They should be assisted and guided towards the right path or at least on how to be a useful citizen for the country.
“This is because most transgenders are fighting for their lives. So we must give our advise in a loving, sympathetic and caring way. Not in the form of punishment or threats.
“Deep down in their hearts, they are looking for a society or an individual who cares about them, who are willing to listen to their problems. As a member of society, especially as a Muslim, we should see them as individuals who need to be helped and guided.”