By S. Arshad, New Age Islam

Despite being a conservative society, Bangladesh occasionally surprises the world with the show of liberal behaviour. A few years ago, the government of Bangladesh had introduced sex education in state-run schools. Now, Bangladesh is in news for opening a madrasa for the third gender in its capital city Dhaka.

Of course, the madrasa has not been established by the government but an NGO called Ahmad Firdaus Bari Choudhury Foundation. However, the opening of madrasa for the transgender community in Bangladesh shows that a section of Bangladeshi society harbours inclusive Islamic approach to the people.

The madrasa is housed in a three storey building in Kamrangir area of Dhaka. It will provide boarding and food to its students who may belong to any age group. The madrasa will provide the students with vocational training along wih lessons in the Quran. Initially 150 students belonging to the transgender community will be given admission. 10 teachers have been appointed for that purpose.

The objective behind the madrasa is to bring the transgender community into the mainstream of the society and make them responsible citizens, according to the General Secretary of the NGO, MD Abdul Rahman.

This madrasa meant for the third gender community is not the first in the world. In 2008, a transgender, Shinta Ratri of Indonesia had established the first madrasa for the transexual community in Yogiakarta in Java island. The madrasa is called Pondok Pesantren Wari al Fatah. Wari in Indonesian language means third gender. In a country like Indonesia where the third gender is looked down upon and anti-LGBT activists are hostile towards them, opening a madrasa for the third gender was not very easy. However, her madrasa got approval from the liberal section of Indonesia. Even the influencial Islamic organisation of Indonesia Nahdlatul Ulema quietly supported it. Read more via New Age Islam