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British-Pakistan actor, rapper and writer, Rizwan Ahmed, better known as Riz Ahmed or MC Riz, is renowned all around the world for his work and his general social awareness. Riz Ahmed, from time to time, has produced gems that his fans still admire today.
The star has been on a tour to Pakistan ever since he came to attend the Lahore Literary Festival. If you still don’t know who Riz is, you can remember him from movies like Jason Bourne, The Reluctant Fundamentalist or the Nightcrawler.
After attending the LLF in Lahore, Riz Ahmed flew to Karachi, to explore the native lands, to see what kind of people live here and what they do in their spare time. Upon arriving, Riz was introduced to the transgender community of Karachi, the third sex which is so often ignored. To flavor his interest, his attendees made him meet a young transgender, whose story Riz Ahmed himself narrated on his Instagram account.
“A transgender lady in Karachi, face bleeding fresh from a street-fight. The transgender community has been an established part of South Asian culture for hundreds of years. You see many many more transgender people walking around in Pakistan than in New York or London. In recent times Pakistan has even had a recognised ‘third gender’ on official government documents, cementing their place in society.
Despite this recognition however, they are marginalized and often earn a living through dancing, sex work or a kind of spiritual begging (it is believed their prayers and curses carry more weight, so it’s best not to anger them, and instead to seek their blessings). Same sex relationships are very common in Pakistan and often not thought of as a sign of homosexuality. In many ways this is a non binary culture – in terms of gender, sexuality, and faith. Religiously observant transgender sex workers who live by exacting a spiritual tax, is a good example of this.
Known as Khwaaja Sarai (or disparagingly and more commonly as ‘Hijra’) they trace their lineage at least as far back as being an important part of the Mughal royal court and administration. The community has an ancient custom of adopting newcomers into guru and disciple relationships. Financial and social rights and responsibilities flow both ways in an interdependent, although sometimes exploitative ‘family’ system.”
Riz Ahmed’s soulful narration of this particular transgender’s story states what a difficult life they live. It shows the struggles, the retaliation and their courage to survive in this jungle where everyone is after to get them. It also shows how humble Riz is as a person, despite being one of the biggest Muslim names in Hollywood.
