ISLAMABAD: On Day 2 of the Islamabad Literature Festival 2015, Supreme Court advocate Hina Jilani commended the organisers of ILF 2015 for bringing transgender issues to a mainstream forum because sexual minorities are amongst the most vulnerable, particularly as she says, “Their story is one of survival in a society that wants to reject them, takes pride in rejecting them and refuses to accept that recognizing differences is part of social progress.”

The session Rights and Wrongs of Transgender Issues, began with a lengthy speech about an academic, theoretical research on the transgender body by Sheherbano Khan, who claimed that the transgender community is beyond the periphery of society as it is unacknowledged and does not count. The discussion then moved into a moving conversation with three transgender people, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Almas Bobby and Bubbly Malik.

Laxmi said quite categorically, “No researcher outside of the transgender community is able to write about the community because they have not experienced the suffering and rejection that defines the existence of most transgenders. The biggest grief in the world is the grief of being unloved and no researcher can understand the tragedy of being discarded.”

Speaking beautifully on what it is to be a Khwaja Sira, she said, “We are believers of Sufi Islam, how can you deny us space in your culture. All religions teach us to love, and that is all we ask that you love us as human beings.” “I was born with a feminine soul and I cannot live a divided existence,” she added.

Tracing the historical roots of the transgender ‘Hijra’ community, she said, “Once we were trusted in the Subcontinent, we held positions of responsibility at courts and in harems. Then the Europeans arrived and tried to eliminate all signs of us. We have a beautiful cultural heritage and our traditions survived the persecution and the marginalization.”

She said there is a need to go beyond recognition as there are more pressing needs such as public health and safe housing. Almas Bobby, a transgender activist from Pakistan, said, “We have a lot of discussions in air-conditioned rooms but when my community needs support dealing with authorities, then I am the only one who has to do everything.”

She said, “We are a creation of the Creator and He loves all His creation equally!”

Dr. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, an academic, said, “We must realise that we live in one of the most patriarchal societies in the world. Even the more progressive amongst us turn a blind eye to many such issues – we are talking about transgenders, women are still on the periphery and we reinforce the “patriarchal superiority of men” advertently and inadvertently all the time!”

He added, “Whatever change we want will have to come through our own efforts in spite of the State.”

In a later session, where the topic was a women’s only jirga called Khwendo Jirga formed by women in Swat to claim space, the audience heard academics expressing patriarchal views and stating that the jirga was destined to become a for-profit NGO.

Dr. Sultan-i-Rome, an author of books on the history and traditions of the region, said, “The concept of the jirga is misunderstood as it is a roundtable of appropriate individuals selected on the basis of the matter to be decided. It is a space where negotiations take place. A jirga is not registered and it does not have fixed members.”

Tabassum Adnan said she founded Khwendo Jirga as a space for women to acquire redress. In Swat, where women are used to mitigate quarrels and cement uneasy peace through Swara (marrying off girls to settle disputes), women’s voices on the subject are not heard.

Dr. Rome said, “People misunderstand Swara as well since in Pakhtun society it is traditional for elders to arrange marriages with or without consultation with the bride and groom. Swara is an extension of arranged marriages and nobody asks the boy whether he is happy with the decision.”

“Men have the right to remarry while for the girl it is a lifetime of slavery,” Tabbasum pointed out.

Ahmed Fouad, a poet from Swat, said, “I heard about the Khwendo Jirga because of this Festival.

The jirga is a powerful institution which allows communities to manage their own affairs. It is very effective and we should remember that people are used and abused everywhere and heinous crimes occur in all provinces.”

Shirin Gul, the author of a case study on the Khwendo Jirga, said, “It is important to learn from this institution which is giving marginalised women a voice.”

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2015

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