Surrogacy unlawful, transgender persons must be treated equally: Islamic Council
Transgender persons must be considered part of family, it said
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the top body of clerics that advises government on religious issues, on Wednesday issued a landmark edict urging that the transgender persons must be treated equally and be considered part of family, Dunya News reported.
According to details, Maulana Sherani of CII said that the transgender persons must not be referred to as Khawaja Siras and Mukhanis (effeminate men).
The council recommended the transgender person be treated like a man if he has more of a ‘male characteristics’ and a woman if she has more of ‘female characteristics’.
It recommended the transgendered persons be included in inheritance as per the male or female gender identifications.
It merits mentioning here that despite Supreme Court’s 2009 landmark verdict to recognize them as the ‘third gender’, transgender persons are ill-treated widely.
Also, no physical contact outside a heterosexual marriage is permitted as per the country’s law and transgender persons are widely considered to be asexual.
Issuing the religious ruling on surrogacy, the Islamic council termed it as unlawful and un-Islamic.
Council’s chairman Maulana Sherani urged that only computerized identity cards and marriage certificates be used.
Sherani recommended amending section 8 of the Muslim Family Law, saying that the court should not divorce the couple without husband’s consent. He urged a divorce be made valid only if the husband consents.
He further said if husband does not appear during a divorce case filed by the wife then a case for annulment of marriage be registered.
