Jagiella Leyla - Among the Eunuchs

An amazing, intricately detailed and personal history of the life of hijras and the modern-day trans community. From the glory of royal courts to the loss of respect and a fight for survival, this is a powerfully written exploration of sexuality, gender, Islam and South Asian culture.

Madian Al Jazerah, author of Are You This? Or Are You This?

A brave and compelling account of the authors transnational journey, interrogating questions of gender, faith, belonging and their complex intersections. It provides a fascinating lens through which to explore the politics of difference, gendered and otherwise, during these polarising times.

Gayatri Reddy, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Gender & Womens Studies, University of Illinois Chicago

Brimming with critical insight, this is a rich account of transfeminine experience, exploring political questions of faith, gender, race, sexuality and belonging, and highlighting how personal and social history enmesh. An important and timely intervention.

Avtar Brah MBE, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Birkbeck, University of London

A compelling narrative of transition, moving from rural Germany to South Asia, and located within a rich trajectory of trans folk in Islamic societies. Jagiella interweaves personal and political challenges, arguing for sexual and gender liberation across the world.

Shahnaz Khan, Professor Emerita of Women and Gender Studies, Wilfred Laurier University, and author of Transnational Feminism and the Moral Regulation of Pakistani Women

AMONG THE EUNUCHS

LEYLA JAGIELLA

Among the Eunuchs

A Muslim Transgender Journey

HURST & COMPANY, LONDON

First published in the United Kingdom in 2021 by

C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd.,

New Wing, Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA

Leyla Jagiella, 2021

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United Kingdom

Distributed in the United States, Canada and Latin America by Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America.

The right of Leyla Jagiella to be identified as the author of this publication is asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

A Cataloguing-in-Publication data record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 9781787383876

This book is printed using paper from registered sustainable and managed sources.

www.hurstpublishers.com

For my parents. Weve been through a lot. But I am glad that weve made it.

And for all the young trans people who go through a lot right now. It will get better.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book would never have become a printable reality, had it not been for the tremendous help and support of many others. I wont be able to mention everybody by name here. But I want as many of you as possible to know how thankful I am for having you in my life and on this journey of writing. My greatest thanks have to go to my sisters in the hijra community in India, of course. The reader will have noticed that I rarely mention names and individual specifics in my book, for reasons that my sisters will understand best. But you are all remembered. My special prayers will always be for my sister Vandana, who sadly passed away several years ago. Equally great thanks go to my khwajasara and transgender sisters and friends in Pakistan. In particular to Neeli Rana, Zainy Chaudhary, Jiya Khan, Jannat Ali, Shehzadi Rai, Bebo Haider and Kami Sid who have all opened their doors and their hearts to me and have given me invaluable access to their world of experience. To Aisha Mughal and Mehlab Jameel for inspiring discussions both in the real world and online. Thanks also go to Sambhav Sharma and his wonderful mother who have shown me a different side of Delhi many years after my first stay in the city. It was the late filmmaker Khalid Gill who first brought me to Pakistan, and Danish-Pakistani filmmaker Saadat Munir who eventually brought me back, as part of the Aks Film Festival. It was originally Anne Ogborn who introduced me to the community in India. Without these three my journey through life may have looked quite different. More than just thanks, but also a great load of respect I owe to the pioneers of the global Queer Muslim world, whose work has informed my own exploration of Islam and who have also so often given me the space and occasion to make Muslim trans issues more visible. Among them El-Farouk Khaki, Muhsin Hendricks, Dino Suhonic and Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle. The Inclusive Mosque Initiative in Londonand there in particular Halima Gosai Hussain, Asma Bhol and Naima Khanhave more than once given me a platform to share my ideas and my knowledge and their encouragement and friendship in particular has informed this book more than they would probably know. The same I can say about the likewise the London-based Muslim Institute. It was in particular Samia Rahman of the Muslim Institute who has always encouraged me to write and who has also become a very dear friend. Farouk Peru, it was you who introduced me to the Muslim Institute. I will always be thankful for that and I miss our long discussions. What has sustained me more than anything on my journey with Islam and with this book is my beloved circle of friends. Among them in particular, in the UK, Sahil Warsi, Arthur Dudney, Hannaan Baig and Tawseef Khan. Ibrahim Subdurally and Ameet Shah, I miss our annual meet-up traditions, Covid and Brexit have forced a bit of a break on them. In the USA or Turkey or Spain (or wherever you may be when you read this): Logan Sparks, uncountable blessings reached my life just through you. In Germany, my first and foremost thanks go to the wonderful Rita Sonal Panjatan and Danijel Cubelic. And also to Ali Raza and Rzouga Selmi. Antony Pattathu, so many thanks for dragging me out into the sunlight when I needed it most. Saboura Naqshband, I really wish Rita and you were closer, our slumber-parties always give me life. The man in my life, my wonderful partner Asim, has not only constantly nourished me with his love, but has also always encouraged me in believing in myself and in my ability to complete this project. Many others have contributed to this book: Ali Ghandour, many thanks for your own wonderful work on sexuality and Islam and for a couple of wonderful discussions with you. Omar Kasmani, thank you for a few significant anthropological insights that I would have missed out on without you. Oliver Kontny, thank you for sharing my love of the apocalypse and for having given me very tangible help in times of need. Samira, thank you for your insight into modern Omani society. Dear Paula Schrode, parts of this book were once meant to become a PhD thesis under your supervision. Life took some other turns. But your support and help at Bayreuth University has played an important role in getting me to the point of writing this story down and I still keep telling people that you are the most wonderful boss that I ever had. Last but definitely not least a big thank you goes out to the wonderful people at Hurst who have helped me enormously in turning the vision of this book into a tangible fact. Especially to Farhaana Arefin who has supported me in this project for over a year and to Lara Weisweiller-Wu who helped me bring it to completion, and to their wonderful team of copy editors.

GLOSSARY