Tanzeem Ittehad-I-Ummat
Tanzeem Ittehad-I-Ummat (Urdu:تنزیم اتحاد امت) is not a political organisation, and its edicts are not legally binding.
In recent years it was impossible for transgender people to marry in Pakistan, where gay marriage remains punishable by life imprisonment, and since 2018 “third gender” is recognised on official identity cards.
Over the years, transgender rights have come a long way all over the world. For instance, protections for transgender sex workers and private escorts have come into place to ensure that trans women and men can work more safely.
The head of the religious organisation appealed to the nation in a press conference accompanied by other religious leaders at Lahore Press Club. They asked central leaders of protesting religio-political parties to keep “extremist elements” away from their sit-ins and called for a resolution of all issues through dialogue. Whereby Muhammad Zia Ul Haq Naqshbandi, a senior scholar of the Lahore-based head of the "Tanzeem Ittehad-I-Ummat" appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan which issued a fatwa, said parents who deprived their transgender sons or daughters of inheritances were “inviting the wrath of God”.
The fatwa declared that: -
"a female-born transgender person having “visible signs of being a male” may marry a woman or a male-born transgender with “visible signs of being a female”, and vice versa. However, it ruled that a transgender person carrying “visible signs of both genders” – or intersex – may not marry anyone. Take care of minorities. All citizens of Pakistan have equal rights.”
The controversial fatwa also stated that any act intended to “humiliate, insult or tease” the community was forbidden, and that transgender persons should not be deprived of family inheritances, nor the right to be buried in Muslim ceremonies.
Whilst the fatwa has been welcomed by Pakistan’s LGBT community, it was received with widespread cross-sect opposition from the country’s many Islamic groups who perceived the ruling as a passive acceptance and encouragement of LGBT activity.
This group wields influence due to its tens of thousands of followers across Pakistan respectively.
