Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – The chairperson of the Indonesian Ulema Council's (MUI) division for proselytising and fraternal affairs, KH M Cholil Nafis, believes that the contestants who took part in a transgender beauty contest at a hotel in the Sawah Besar area of Central Jakarta on Sunday August 4 must be treated and cured.
"The participants need to be treated because the tendency of men to be women or vice versa can be caused by psychiatric or physical imperfections. We must help them return to their true gender", Nafis said on the Beritasatu Afternoon program aired by BTV on Tuesday August 6.
According to Nafis, if someone has already undergone a gender change, then they need to be returned to their original sex.
"It's impossible for men to fully become women. Operations only change physical, not biological functions such as pregnancy", he said.
"Medicine is now advanced and can detect intrinsic gender tendencies. Therefore, friends who have already undergone a gender change need to be psychologically and medically helped to return to their original identity", he added.
Nafis also emphasised that in Islam, only two sexes, men and women are recognised.
"In the context of religion and social norms, we only know two sexes. This is reflected in various aspects of life, such as the division of inheritance and legitimate [married] couples according to religion", he said.
Nafis also expressed his appreciation for the police who are in the process of investigating the case and hopes that the organisers and the people involved will be prosecuted.
"This activity must be prosecuted legally because it did not have a permit and violated the principle of human identity. In Indonesia, sex changes are prohibited, especially in the form of [beauty] contests that seem to show this off", said Nafis.
Nafis also appealed to the public to pay more attention to children's education in accordance with their actual sex.
"Let's educate our children in accordance with their gender. Society must not be quiet in seeing deviations, report it to the appropriate authorities in order to maintain a conducive atmosphere and the essence of human personality", he concluded.
- Slamming trans beauty contest, MPU says if you don't like Islamic law in Aceh leave. Aceh Post – August 6, 2024
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "MUI: Peserta Kontes Kecantikan Transgender di Jakarta Harus Diobati".]
