THIRD GENDER IN MALAYSIA: AN INSIGHT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAM

The post-globalization era, which is increasingly challenging the intellect and minds of the present time, is causing people to dare to do things outside of local cultural norms and Islamic law. The situation becomes more urgent when there are attempts to open up space for recognizing the third gender in Malaysia. If this effort continues, it will provide a significant opportunity for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, which has been advocating for their human rights to be accepted by society without discrimination in various aspects. This controversial issue has opened the eyes of many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and local figures who have come together to restrain the recognition effort. This is because this culture clearly contradicts the nature of Islam and Islamic law and is not in line with Malaysia's position as a country that practices Islamic religious principles. Therefore, this paper will discuss the concept of the third gender from the perspective of Islam and its impact on the Islamic community in Malaysia. To achieve this objective, the researcher uses a qualitative approach with full application of the literature review method. The collected data is analyzed inductively to formulate research findings. The study found that the third-gender culture needs to be completely curbed before it spreads widely in the Islamic community because it contradicts the demands of Islamic religion and local culture. Any effort to recognize this culture needs to be firmly restrained, as it will encourage various actions prohibited by Islamic law. Various parties need to play a role and work together to resolve this issue for the benefit of the Muslim community, especially in this country.