A Fox News headline states “Biden offers $500K grant for English teachers in Pakistan that focus on transgender youth
Grant recipients will implement the program for transgender youth ages 13-25” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-offers-500k-grant-english-teachers-pakistan-focus-transgender-youth
The actual grant proposal states “This NOFO aims to support the Department of State’s initiatives to promote and strengthen English language teaching and learning in Pakistan through the following program components:
1. Professional Development for English Language Teachers from Non-Mainstream Institutions
2. Professional Development for Novice English Teachers
3. Professional Development for Transgender Youth and for Afghan Teachers, Students, and Young Professionals Residing in Pakistan.”
My first reaction was basically how stupid. My thought process was that homosexuality is abhorrent to Muslims and Pakistan is a Muslim nation. Transgender persons will be setting themselves up for a death sentence if they were to accept the grant.
I decided to do some further research.
According to the CIA religions in Pakistan are represented as follows:
“Muslim (official) 96.5% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.5% (2020 est.)” https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/summaries
According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan “Islam shall be the State religion of Pakistan.” https://na.gov.pk/uploads/documents/1333523681_951.pdf
BBC News printed an article March 31, 2023 Homosexuality: The countries where it is illegal to be gay “The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (Ilga) monitors the progress of laws relating to homosexuality around the world.
It says the death penalty is the legally prescribed punishment for same-sex sexual acts in Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and in some northern states of Nigeria.
In five countries - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates - there is no legal clarity and the death penalty could be applied.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-43822234
According to the New York Times author By Zia ur-Rehman (Published July 2, 2022 Updated Aug. 26, 2022) “KARACHI, Pakistan — Four years ago, Pakistan stepped to the forefront of transgender rights worldwide, enacting a law that prohibits discrimination against transgender people in schools, workplaces and public settings, and guarantees them the right to choose their gender on official documents.” https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/world/asia/pakistan-trans-rights.html
Regardless of the transgender law, discrimination exists, and people have been killed because of transgender. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/world/asia/pakistan-trans-rights.html
According to Quaraninteractive ”Transforming gender is indeed a great destruction and a Sin
Transforming self into another gender or getting attractive towards the same gender is indeed a great destruction for both society and for an individual. If people will not accept their own natural gender identities then they would never be able to married happily and make a family. If, people get attracted towards same gender then how they will get married; even if such people marry how they become sincere with their husbands and wives?
Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) has disliked this thing so much that he got angry so bad when he has seen such people. Ibn ‘Abbās said that:
“The prophet coursed a man who resemble women and women who resemble men. The prophet said: “Get them out of your house”. Ibn ‘Abbās said: The prophet got a man out and ‘Umar got a woman out [Al-Bukhārī, 2002, p. 1486].” “ https://www.quraninteractive.com/blog/education_in_the_light_of_islam/what_islam_says_about_transgenders
As a Christian I believe that “26 Then God said, “[a]Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and [b]let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that [c]moves on the earth.”” Genesis 1:26-28 (New American Standard Bible)
God loves all people! 1 John 4:8 NASB 1995 “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love” Galatians 4:4-5 New American Standard Bible states
“4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under [b]the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under [c]the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughter”
God gives all people freewill. He desires fellowship with us. But he never forces himself on us. You choose who your friends will be, you can choose God as your friend.
He allows us to make the choice to be His child. Some will reject him. That is unfortunate. But that is their choice. God hates sin but never the sinner. “ 23 for all [a]have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 (NASB) When we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord 1 John 1:7 states “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
I digressed. To put forth a grant that could put people’s lives in danger (even unintentionally), in my opinion, is not well thought out.
Picture by Kenny Eliason/Unsplash