Contrary to official claims about the success of Islamic “rehabilitation” for trans people, I never heard any trans women say the programs “corrected” their gender identity.
Some trans women I met who participated in a program similar to Mukhayyam, established by one of the State Islamic Religious Councils, joined seeking community, a weekend trip, or deeper Islamic understanding. But most were older, ill, or in need of zakat, the Islamic financial assistance the program offered. Typically, zakat is meant for all Muslims in need without any obligation in return, but trans participants can only receive this aid money—usually enough to cover monthly rent and food expenses—if they contractually commit to attending the program.
Malaysian state-sponsored authorities and their supporters deny their practices share similarities with other “conversion therapy” practices that claim to “cure” queer and trans people. These can involve exorcism, medication, confinement, electroshock therapy, behavioral conditioning, and verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. In 2020, JAKIM reported an LGBTQ+ activist to the police simply for comparing the rehabilitation camps to “Western” conversion therapy. However, several Malaysian NGOs and LGBTQ+ rights groups have spoken out against Mukhayyam and similar programs, presenting evidence that they do use violent, coercive techniques associated with other conversion therapies found globally.
Over the past several decades, human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and academic societies such as the American Psychological Association have denounced conversion therapy practices aimed at LGBTQ+ people as harmful and “amounting to torture” in some cases. While these practices are banned in some countries, such programs continue to receive support from national policy initiatives and religious organizations. Conversion therapy programs remain legal in most parts of the world and are on the rise again in increasingly conservative and authoritarian states, including in the United States.
NAVIGATING LIFE AS MALAY MUSLIM WOMEN
I met Ana, a devout Muslim and Dora’s acquaintance, in one of the state-sponsored “rehabilitation” programs. She initially joined for financial help and religious learning, but had grown disillusioned. Still, Ana remained in the program on and off for years, partly to receive zakat and partly to challenge the program’s agenda. She resisted the religious teacher’s efforts to make her conform to male rituals and appearances, and regularly challenged the anti-trans rhetoric of the program.
Some of Ana’s peers in the program compromised and changed their physical appearance to resemble a male person, although they claimed they were still women inside. JAKIM showcases these “repented” trans women as success stories. “Some don’t know who they are,” Ana told me.
I met other trans women who struggled more to find the self-acceptance Ana achieved. For example, I spoke with Zita, who was homeless and earned a living through sex work.
“How did it feel when you came out?” I asked.
“I felt relieved, like I didn’t have to pretend anymore,” she said. “But in the end, I’m still pretending.”
I could not hide my surprise. “Are you pretending?”
She sat quietly for a while before answering my question. “Yeah, in a way. I am pretending to God. Yes. Pretending to myself. Yes. That is hypocrisy,” Zita said in a shaky voice.
She believed that being trans was sinful, which is what most religious leaders preached. “Of course, this [being trans] is wrong. But what are we supposed to do? How are people like me supposed to survive? I cannot live like a man, that’s also hypocrisy,” Zita said.
