I am writing an essay on anomalous gender identity in early Islam

Intersex people were treated far better in Muslim lands 1000 years ago than today - shocking really.

They were by no means forced to enter sex work or join gangs. The ulema were quite pragmatic about it all

I always wondered why there were so many khuntha/hijra/intersex people (born with ambiguous genitalia, separate to trans people but sometimes grouped together) in s. Asia & apparently disorders of sex development are disproportionately high in countries with cousin marriages etc

In 14th century Cairo, the daughter of a ruler turned fifteen & "her vagina closed up. A penis and testicles sprouted" and they were summoned by the Mamluk ruler Amir Manjak, renamed Muhammad, appointed as an attendant & given land.

People generally did not fear or condemn them

The ambiguous khuntha were allocated a space to pray - behind the men & in front of the women.

They were also allowed to lead women in prayer. This is interesting when you think about how in places like Indonesia many third gender people have their own masajid to escape abuse

Gender roles were also sometimes attributed to sexual activity.

To be a "luti" as in a man who takes the active "top" position in penetrative sex with men - was seen as a behavioural issue but not emasculating or preventing marriage with women

Yet to be "ma'bun" - as in the passive "bottom" participant in homosexual sex - was often thought to be a medical condition, linked to being a "mukhannath" effeminate man.

Gender was quite complex & explored heavily by the jurists, with some degree of fluidity acknowledged

Anyway back to khuntha - often it was only after marriage that these conditions would be discovered.

There would be different surgeries recommended, including "cosmetic surgery" such as removing the fatty tissue in the swollen breast of a man.

The scholars wanted to categorise khuntha as men or women because of the legal implications. If they displayed more female/male attributes they would be categorises as such

Only in the cases of "khuntha mushkil" (ambiguous intersex people) were they subject to different laws

The khuntha mushkil had to wear hijab while praying and travel with a mahram, like women. They were also forbidden from wearing silk, like men. This is an example of how they were subject to unique legal rulings.

In one case, two families married their khuntha children to each other.

At the time of puberty, the girl became a boy & the boy became a girl!

The perplexed jurists declared the marriage was still valid, and that the parents were at fault for marrying them underage!

These people were active members of society.

Yet today, in some places like Pakistan, a "khuntha" child will be born with aspects of both male and female sex organs, and their family will give the baby to a local khuntha gang who are forced into sex work by a pimp. It's cruel

This is how marginalised people stay on the fringes of society. They are not given a chance at life, a chance that Ottoman jurists would have given them many centuries ago

Thank you for reading this thread