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French-Moroccan sociologist Dr. Abdessamad Dialmy and Lebanese Islamic Scholar Dr. Wafic Hijazi debated gender transitioning in Islam in a show that aired on Alghad TV (UAE/Egypt) on January 20, 2021. Dr. Abdessamad Dialmy said that Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, permitted gender transitioning as a solution to "the problem of gender identity." He continued to say that there is no unequivocal Islamic religious text that prohibits gender transitioning. Dr. Dialmy stated: "A person with gender dysphonia is not a beast." Dr. Wafic Hijazi replied that he cannot rely on a Khomeini, a scholar who said that gay marriage is legitimate. He added that Morocco and Egypt ascribe to the Sunni denomination and Al-Azhar, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, and the fatwa councils in the Islamic world all say that gender transitioning is forbidden. He asked how a man can accept his wife disappearing for a month only to return wearing men's clothing and sporting a beard. Dr. Hijazi said: "We must not follow those who try to break the laws of human nature."
Dr. Abdessamad Dialmy: "In 1983, imam Khomeini allowed gender transitioning, in view of the problem of gender identity.
Interviewer: "What problem is this?"
Dialmy: "Khomeini allowed a woman who felt she was a man to undergo surgery, in the name of Islam."
[...]
Dr. Wafic Hijazi: "Dr. Dialmy said that Khomeini was an Islamic scholar. Can I rely on a scholar who says that gay marriage is legal? We are dealing here with an Islamic issue... Morocco and Egypt are of Sunni denomination. Al-Azhar, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, and all the fatwa councils in the Islamic world say that gender transitioning is haram.
[...]
"Can a married man accept a scenario in which his wife is absent for a month and then she appears with a beard, short hair, and men's clothes? Should I excuse [this] on the basis of mental issues, or should I make it clear to him that we must accept Allah's judgement and we should not follow Satan's temptations? We must not follow those who try to break the laws of human nature. How can we accept such things and rely upon Khomeini?"
[...]
Dialmy: "I would like to say, with all sincerity, that there is no unequivocal text that prohibits gender transitioning. There is no such text."
Hijazi: "Dr. Dialmy, you said that as a scholar, you are not interested in religion, so how come you turn to religious [texts] here?"
Dialmy: "Dr. Wafic, wait with your comments [to your turn]...I am a sociologist who specializes in religion. I have many studies concerning Islam and the religion of Islam. I have not found a single unequivocal text that forbids gender transitioning.
[...]
"A person with gender dysphoria is not a beast. He is an intelligent human being, who can think, compare, and choose. He does not say things on a whim. He is compelled to say he is a man despite his femininity, or vice versa."
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