‘No one can mock us’: Bangladesh’s transgender hijra hail opening of new mosque
www.scmp.com
Hijra, a legally recognised third gender in the country, are often discriminated against in employment and are much more likely to be victims of violent crime and poverty than the average Bangladeshi.
  • Hijra are the beneficiaries of growing legal recognition in Bangladesh, which since 2013 has officially allowed members of the community to identify as a third gender
  • They are often discriminated against in employment and are much more likely to be victims of violent crime and poverty than the average Bangladeshi ⠀

Kicked out of other prayer services, members of Bangladesh’s transgender hijra community have been welcomed at a new mosque in the Muslim-majority nation with the promise of worship without discrimination. ⠀

The mosque near Mymensingh, north of the capital Dhaka on the banks of the Brahmaputra river, was built on land donated by the government after the city’s hijra community were expelled from an established congregation.

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