Sex reassignment surgery, marriage, and reproductive rights of intersex and transgender people in Sunni Islam

Muhsin, Sayyed Mohamed and Yahya, Firdaus and Parachottil, Rasheed and Shaikh, Sirajuddin and Chin, Alexis Heng Boon (2024) Sex reassignment surgery, marriage, and reproductive rights of intersex and transgender people in Sunni Islam. Archives of Sexual Behavior. pp. 1-14. ISSN 0004-0002 E-ISSN 1573-2800 (In Press)

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Abstract

The traditional gender binary constitutes an integral aspect of Islamic social ethics, which has a pivotal role in shaping religious obligations, legal proceedings, and interpersonal judgments within Muslim communities. Within the familial sphere, this gender binary underscores fundamental responsibilities encompassing parenthood, flial duties, and inheritance rights. Recent years have witnessed a growing challenge to the traditional concept of the gender binary within Islamic societies. This shift is driven by increasing social libertarianism that emphasizes gender fuidity and individual choice. Hence, this article aims to critically scrutinize evolving discussions and controversies about the rights of intersex and transgender individuals, particularly issues relating to sex reassignment or gender-afrming surgery, marriage, and reproduction, from the perspective of the Sunni tradition of Islam. To support the various interpretations and insights presented here, a comprehensive and rigorous analysis is carried out on various religious texts and scholarly sources to elucidate the theological and jurisprudential positions on gender issues. It is thus concluded that Shariah ofers greater fexibility in the treatment of intersex individuals compared to those with gender dysphoria because the intersex condition is viewed as a physical impairment that is not the choice of the aficted individual. By contrast, in the case of individuals with gender dysphoria, they are willfully attempting to change their recognized biological sex, that God had naturally given to them at birth. Therefore, it is recommended that such transgender individuals deserve respectful psychological and social rehabilitation with help and guidance from religious authorities, their families, and communities.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Dysphoria, Gender, Islam, Muslims, Transsexual, Transvestite, Fiqh, Theology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF692 Psychology of sex. Sexual behavior H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman > HQ 1075 Sex role BPK Islamic law. Shari'ah. Fiqh H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh
Depositing User:	Dr. Sayyed Mohamed Muhsin
Date Deposited:	26 Feb 2024 09:37
Last Modified:	06 Mar 2024 15:14
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/110982

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