Transgender preacher defies dysphoria

Amir Khusro speaks about journey from Heera Mandi to Tablighi Jamaat

ISLAMABAD: Despite being flamboyant and colourful, they still form a marginalised segment of society, eking out a living through different trades – from dancing to begging. However, preaching religion publically has not been their forte – until now.

Khawaja Kutub Amir Khusro has brought this change. Khusro now heads a group of transgender who have opted to start preaching Islam and spread the message of love, peace harmony and humanity.

“It is difficult to summarise my journey from a dancer in Heera Mandi [red-light area] to a mosque as preacher,” Khusro told The Express Tribune.



Previously she preferred to be called ‘Ghareeb Khusro’ until she was selected to head this Tablighi Jamaat, comprising transgender people belonging to all schools of thought. Then she was given a title of ‘Amir Khusro’.

“Being a transgender person in our society, it is an uphill task to go outside and preach Islam. It is because people think that transgender can only do dancing. There are many places where we are not even allowed to enter mosque,” Khusro said.

Khusro’s transformation from a heavily made-up ‘Faiso Adaoonwali’ who would wear a plush embroidered dress to attract customers at Heera Mandi to a bearded ‘Amir Khusro’ clad in white Chogha [overall] with head covered, is a painful journey.

Just like all other transgender persons, she was also abandoned by her family when she was just 11.

“My class fellows and children in neighbourhood used to call me, Khusra [transgender] and made fun of me. For me it was kind of a mental torture,” said Khusro. At that time she did not know what the term ‘Khusra’ even means.

At age 11, Khusro joined the transgender community in her native town, Sialkot, where different gurus kept on selling her. At age 12, she ended up at the Heera Mandi in Lahore where she became a professional dancer – and abused by many in her young age.

“Every single second I had spent in Heera Mandi was awful, painful… like a nightmare,” she said.

After spending 12 to 13 years in Heera Mandi, Khusro came across a group of Tablighi Jamaat, who inspired her to join them. “The day I told my guru at Heera Mandi that I am quitting this dance profession and joining the Tablighi Jamaat, I was brutally beaten. I was bleeding and aching like anything.”

However, she was able to escape with four other transgender persons and reached Raiwind. From there she started her journey to a new path. So far, Khusro has motivated 150 transgender persons to join her Tablighi Jamaat group and now she hopes to perform Hajj next year.

Her group of Islamic preachers includes Umer Farooq, earlier known as ‘Nighaien’, from Gujranwala and Shakeel Ahmed, formerly ‘Sonu’. “For us quitting dancing and joining the Tablighi Jamaat is like coming out of hell and going to heaven,” said Farooq.



Both Farooq and Ahmed have similar stories to share. They endured a lot of disapproval from society after being identified as transgender during their early childhood.

“Only our mothers accepted us as their children. She never wanted us to go away, but the negative attitude of this society forced us to leave our families and become dancers to earn livelihood,” said Ahmed. “Now after joining Tablighi Jamaat, we have made our families proud.”

However, their hardship has not come to an end even after choosing the path of preaching Islam. This community is still stigmatised by many and they still struggle to get decent jobs to make both ends meet.