30 December 2023 | Dhaka, Bangladesh
A group of students at the University of Dhaka, described here as Islamist students based on their stated opposition to transgender recognition, held a press conference on 30 December 2023 demanding the removal of the term “transgender” from the university’s admission notice for the 2023–2024 academic year. Presenting themselves as general students rather than representatives of a particular student organisation, they addressed journalists at the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association office and issued an ultimatum to the university administration. They demanded that the vice-chancellor and registrar withdraw the term and publish a revised admission notice by 1 January 2024. The students warned that failure to meet their demand would lead to further demonstrations, declaring that they would abandon their studies, take to the streets and continue protesting until the university authorities amended the admission policy. The press conference followed earlier protests against the university’s “Transgender/Hijra” admission quota, which had become a subject of controversy among groups of students opposing transgender recognition.
During the press conference, the students argued that the term “transgender” was foreign to Bangladeshi culture and should not be included in the admission notice of a public university. They claimed that the word was absent from the Bangla Academy dictionary and described its inclusion as an attack on the country’s indigenous cultural traditions and social values. Their objections focused particularly on the university’s use of transgender terminology alongside the Hijra community, which they argued represented a separate identity deserving specific recognition. The protesters maintained that they did not oppose educational opportunities or admission quotas for Hijra people but rejected extending the same provisions to transgender people. They alleged that recognising transgender applicants within the quota could allow individuals outside the Hijra community to access opportunities intended for Hijra students, potentially depriving them of their rights. Through these arguments, the students sought to distinguish Hijra identity from transgender identity and demanded the exclusion of transgender people from the university’s admission provisions. They also criticised National Human Rights Commission Chairman Dr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed over his remarks concerning the controversy, rejecting his characterisation of the student protests and accusing him of misunderstanding their demands. They warned that his statements could intensify dissatisfaction among students and contribute to further unrest at the university.
Among those attending the press conference were Sakhawat Zakaria, a third-year student in the Department of Law; Abid Hasan Rafi, a second-year student in the Department of Arabic; A. B. Zubayer, a student in the Department of Islamic Studies; and Mosaddeq Ibn Muhammad, a student in the Department of Sociology, alongside students from other departments of the University of Dhaka. The participants did not present the programme under the banner of any particular political or student organisation, instead identifying themselves as general students opposing the university’s use of transgender terminology. Their demands centred on removing transgender recognition from the admission notice while retaining provisions specifically intended for Hijra applicants. By setting a deadline of 1 January and threatening further street demonstrations, the students escalated their opposition from earlier protests to a formal ultimatum directed at the university administration.
References
Dhaka Post — ঢাবির ভর্তি বিজ্ঞপ্তি থেকে ‘ট্রান্সজেন্ডার’ শব্দ অপসারণের দাবি (30 December 2023)
