VOA慢速英语--巴基斯坦一所跨性别伊斯兰学校打破了障碍

Transgender Islamic School in Pakistan Breaks Barriers

Every day, Rani Khan gives lessons at the first transgender-only Islamic religious school in Pakistan. Wearing a long cloth covering over her hair, she teaches from the Muslim holy book, the Quran.

Khan, who is 34 years old, used money she had been saving for years to set up the school.

The Islamic school, or madrasa, is important for the LGBTQ community in the majority Muslim country of Pakistan.

There is no official rule banning transgender people from religious schools or from mosques³. But in Pakistan, transgender people face discrimination and rejection⁴.

"Most families do not accept transgender people. They throw them out of their homes. Transgender people turn to wrongdoing," Khan told Reuters news agency.

At the school, other transgender people have their heads similarly covered. They sit behind Khan, moving side to side, as they read parts of the Muslim holy book aloud.

Khan explains that, earlier in her life, she had turned to "wrongdoing."

"At one time, I was also one of them," she said.

Trying not to cry, Khan remembered how she was rejected by her family at 13 years of age. Because of it, she was forced into a life of begging for money.

At age 17, she joined a transgender group, dancing at marriage ceremonies and other events. But she quit the group to connect with her religion. One night, she had a dream about a deceased transgender friend and dancer. In the dream, the friend begged her to do something for the community.

Khan took the dream as a sign and began studying the Quran at home. She also attended religious schools. Then, in October 2020, she opened the two-room madrasa.

"I'm teaching the Quran to please God, to make my life here" and in the afterlife, Khan said. She explained how the madrasa offered a place for transgender people to pray, learn about Islam and make up for past actions.

She said the school has not received financial aid from the government. But some officials have promised to help students find jobs.

The school has received some individual donations. Khan is also teaching her students how to make clothing. She hopes the school can raise money by selling clothes.

In 2018, Pakistan's parliament officially recognized the third gender¹. The change gives transgender individuals the ability to vote and choose their gender on official documents.

Still, transgender people are considered outsiders in the country. They often have no means of survival⁵ except begging, dancing and prostitution.

The madrasa could help transgender people move closer to acceptance in Pakistani society, said Hamza Shafqaat. He is a lead government official in Islamabad, the capital city.

Shafqaat told Reuters he is hopeful that if you copy this school model in other cities, things will improve.

A religious school for transgender Muslims has also opened in Dhaka, the capital of nearby Bangladesh. And last year a Christian⁶ transgender group started its own church in Pakistan's busy southern city of Karachi.

Pakistan's 2017 census⁷ recorded about 10,000 transgender people. But transgender rights groups say the number could now be well over 300,000 in the country of 220 million people.

"It gives my heart peace when I read the Quran," said Simran Khan, a student at Rani Khan's school. Simran also really wants to learn life skills.

"It is much better than a life full of insults," the 19-year-old added.

Words in This Story

transgender –adj. of or relating to people who feel that their true nature does not match their sex at birth

LGBTQ –acronym. lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer⁸

mosque² –n. a building that is used for Muslim religious services

beg –v. to ask people for money or food

deceased –adj. no longer living; dead

prostitution –n. the work of having sex for money

census –n. the official counting of people in a country or area

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

3 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

4 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

5 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

8 queer   

adj.奇怪的，异常的，不舒服的，眩晕的

参考例句：

• I heard some queer footsteps.我听到某种可疑的脚步声。
• She has been queer lately.她最近身体不舒服。