gilakas’la / čɛčɛ haθɛč,

I respectfully acknowledge that I live, work, play, and pray within the traditional territory of the K’ómoks Nation

Good News: Joshua 1: 9 “Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

Selection from “Holy Troublemakers and Unconventional Saints”

Sermon: Learning from Maryam Molkara

One of the beautiful things about being clergy in the United Church is that in our ethical standards we are called to honour the faith of all persons and what I have learned through study and relationship is that exploring and understanding global faiths is that my own faith, concepts of God etc are enhanced with more knowledge and experience, not diminished.  

So we are going to grow our collective understanding, grow our collective capacity for Love and learning through this story of one holy troublemaker by exploring Islam today.  And we start with a story of great courage by exploring the life of Maryam Molkara.

But first: 

Who is familiar with the religion of Islam?  

It is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide.  It is part of what are referred to as the Abrahamic religions: along with Judaism and Christianity.  And the foundational stories of all three are the same.  Scholars trace the creation of Islam to the 7th century in Mecca – modern day Saudi Arabia, during the time of the prophet Muhammad’s life.

The word Islam means “submission to the will of God” and muslims believe that prophets came to teach humans about Gods – Allah’s will, including Abraham, Moses, Noah and Jesus.  Muslims understand that Mohammad was the final prophet, who was given God’s teaching through the angel Gabriel.

The Quran is the Holy text in Islam but the Hadith is another very important book.  One central idea that has a lot of negative coverage in the media, especially after 9-11 is jihad which means struggle – the internal and external struggle to follow one’s faith and live for a larger purpose than individualism and self-gratification.

There are five pillars of Islam that guide a muslims life:

Shahada – faith – the believe that there is no God but God and that Muhammed is the messenger of God.

Salat – prayer – Muslims pray five times a day facing Mecca: at dawn, noon, mid afternoon, sunset and after dark.  These prayers include a recitation of the opening chapter of the Quran called the sura and muslims gather for prayer at the mosque on Fridays for the noonday prayer.

The third is zakat – alms – muslims donate to charity, to community members in need, to their local mosque, and more wealthy muslims build mosques and hospitals and schools.

Sawm – fasting – is also a pillar of Islam.  Muslims fast from food and drink during the month of Ramadan during daylight hours as a practice of renewal – elevating their awareness of and gratitude for everything God has provided for them, sharing hunger and thirst of the needy as a reminder of their commitment to help those less fortunate.

The fifth pillar is hajj – pilgrimage.  Every muslim who is financially and physically able must travel at least once to Mecca.

Now: Miryam.  I should note that her story might be triggering, so if you need to step out, if you need a break, please take it.  If you need to stay after and process, please do.  If you need a companion to step out with you, just ask someone to be present with you.

Have you ever done something scary in order to be true to yourself?  Even when it might be a risk to your safety?

Maryam Molkara is a transgender rights activist – a muslim trans activist – in Iran.  She changed her country and actually the world, especially for muslims.  She was born in Iran, and there were  signs from a young age that she was not the gender assigned to her at birth – she wrote, “my mother had told me that even at the age of 2 she found me in front of the mirror putting chalk on my face the same way a woman puts on her makeup.”  These early experiences and clues don’t happen for all trans people, but it did for her.  When Miryam was a young adult, she began to live as a woman, with a small circle of support around her, including some doctors.  She learned about gender reassignment surgery and began to pursue that option, but there were financial barriers, along with familial and religious ones.  

So she asked questions.  Lots of questions.  In the 1980s.  In Iran.  Interestingly, there were very strict rules against same-gender attraction but there wasn’t anything in religious or state law around being trans.  So some religious leaders came back to her with approval but her ability to live freely and without persecution had to come from the Ayatollah, the religious leader of Iran.  As you might imagine – not the easiest guy to get an audience with.  There were times when she was forced to live as a man.  There were times where she was arrested for living and working as a woman – her connections with those doctors and religious leaders who gave her approval were the only things that got her released from prison.  

Finally, in 1987, she was so out of ideas and so harmed that she went right up to Ayatollah Khomeni’s compound with a Quran in her hands and shoes tied around her neck: a symbol that means the person wearing them is seeking refuge or shelter.  When she reached the compound, the armed guards began to beat her and she cried out the only thing she could, “I am a woman, I am a woman.”

The commotion caught the attention of the Ayatollah’s brother who came over to see what was happening.  You see – Maryam had gone dressed as a man but had bound her breasts – the guards thought she was a man carrying explosives.  She threw off her outer layer and unbound her breasts and for a moment no one knew what to do.  Women around them quickly came and covered her.  As you can imagine – this was a loud and chaotic event unfolding and the Ayatollah’s son came over.  Maryam told Ahmad her story and the boy – he was not yet a man, a teenager – was so moved, he led her to his father.  Finally, after years of trying, she was going to be able to speak to the one person who could make it so she could live without ongoing persecution. 

Before she entered the room, she fainted.  Turns out that the Ayatollah was in the room with three doctors and she woke up to hearing him chastising the guards.  She wrote, “I could hear Khomeni raising his voice.  He was blaming those around him, asking how they could mistreat someone who had come for shelter.  He was saying, ‘this person is God’s servant’.” She overheard him asking his doctors the difference between hermaphrodites and transsexuals.  He didn’t know, and then he knew.  And then, she wrote, “from that moment on, everything changed for me.”

She told him her story.  And he listened.  And he issued a fatwa – a ruling in Islamic law – stating “in the name of the Almighty, God willing, sex reassignment if advised by a reliable doctor is permissible.” and he told her that he hoped she would remain safe, and that she would be treated well. 

Not only was she able to safely and securely live and work and worship as a woman, but she opened the door for other trans people in Iran to live as their true identity and with the public support of religious leaders, public opinion shifted as well. 

Miryam’s courage changed the quality of life for trans muslims in Iran and around the world – she didn’t eliminate transphobia in Iran or in Islam, but she saved countless lives through her courage.  She went on to start an organization to help fund gender confirmation surgeries so that finances wouldn’t be a barrier – an organization that is now government subsidized.

Maryam lived until 2012 and left behind an incredible legacy.  Her striving to be true to herself gave others freedom to be themselves.  

Courage.

There is a Scripture that is shared among Jews, Christians and Muslims from the prophet Joshua that reads, “Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

Indeed Maryam was never without God and her courage can guide us all.