34-year-old Rani Khan, who was disowned by her family at the young age of 13 and forced into begging, set up a two-room transgender-only Islamic school in Islamabad in October 2020.
Why it matters: While Pakistan’s parliament recognized the third gender in 2018; giving fundamental rights including the ability to vote and choose their gender on official documents. The transgender community is often ostracised, made victim of hate crimes, and forced to the margins of society.
Rani Khan: “Most families do not accept transgender people. They throw them out of their homes. Transgender people turn to wrongdoing.”
Khan herself had to resort to begging and then dancing at weddings and functions; after being disowned by her family to earn a living.
About the school: Khan has built the madrassa with her own life savings and says she did not receive aid from the government, although some officials promised to help students find jobs. In addition to religious studies; Khan is also teaching students how to sew and embroider to raise funds by selling clothing.
“I’m teaching the Quran to please God, to make my life here and in the hereafter,” Khan said, talking about how the school offered a place for transgender people to worship and learn about Islam.
I am a freelance writer studying Mass Communication at the University of Karachi in the faculty of Media sciences. Also certified from Hubspot Academy as a Content Marketer.