Saudi embass­y says only those applic­ations are entert­ained that specif­y the gender as either male or female­ISLAMABAD: Shakeel Ahmed, a member of the transgender community, who gave up her dancing career and joined the Tablighi Jamaat, yearns to perform Umrah. But Ahmed’s dream was shattered when she came to know that her visa application was turned down because of the ‘X’ in the gender column on her CNIC and passport, denoting non-binary gender. “I can travel around the world while having a passport with an ‘X’ in the gender column but I cannot perform Hajj or Umrah… this is sad,” said Jan. The government inaction regarding informing the Saudi government about this new development is creating problems for members of the transgender community. Hajj 2018: Police to send pilgrim assistantsNaseem pointed out that several members of the transgender community, whose passports specified their genders as either male or female, had performed both Hajj and Umrah.

Source: The Express Tribune December 17, 2017 05:26 UTC