Promises of blessing and mercy from God for those who
sincerely perform their religious duties during Ramadhan have lifted
the spirits of many Muslims.
The promises not only inspire men and women, but transvestites too -- like 17-year-old Muhammad Yahya from Malang, East Java.
The third-year student at PGRI 6 Kanjuruhan vocational school said he
had performed his religious duties the way a man should and hoped to
receive blessings.
An active member of the Malang Transvestite Association, he is professionally known as Sasya."I realize that in one way, physically, I am a man. But at the same time, I can''t deny how I feel.
"I want to be loved and love someone (a man), especially a fatherly and protective one," he told The Jakarta Post after conducting tarawih prayers at Agung Jami'' Mosque in Malang.
The teen -- who prefers to be called Sasya -- realized he was different when he was still in kindergarten. His parents watched his development and eventually came to accept that their fourth child was different.
He says his parents'' advice is in the back of his mind at all times -- especially since entering an Islamic boarding school.
"My parents told me I should always continue to serve others," he said.
Since about 2000, Sasya has been a santri (student) at Raudlatul Jannah
pesantren, led by Dja''far Sodiq, in Mergosono district, Malang.
He has excelled as a religious student -- his favorite subjects are Arabic and Koran -- and even been given a teaching role."At the pesantren I realize that, although I''m a
transvestite, dressed in the evenings as a woman, as a Muslim, I have
an obligation to perform my religious duties to Allah as a man.
"I am a man and I can''t change that."
Sasya has also been called on to help other transvestites.
"He''s the best Arabic teacher," said his colleague, Muhammad "Viru Devana" Arifin, treasurer of the transvestite association.
"He''s also the best one to teach reading and writing of the Koran."
Yahya said he had been seeing someone over the past six months, but
that romance could not change his belief that marriage to a man was
impossible.
"I have to marry a woman. I don''t know when, but I plan to just let things flow, like water," said Yahya, who dreams of having his own beauty parlor.
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