As the founder of the world’s only Islamic boarding school for transgender people, Shinta dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of transgender women to practice their religion and to worship according to their beliefs.

Shinta passed away at the Wirosaban Hospital on Wednesday morning after suffering from a heart attack. She was buried in the Jagalan Village Funeral Home that afternoon.

Founded in 2008 and located in Yogyakarta, Shinta’s Islamic boarding school provides a safe space for waria in a time when faith and transgender identities are often seen to be incompatible in Indonesia.

With many transgender people in Indonesia finding it hard to pray at ordinary mosques where men and women are divided, Shinta wanted to provide a safe space for waria to pray and provide opportunities for them to deepen their religion.

With many Indonesian conservatives still viewing transgender people as sinners and deviants, Al Fatah briefly shut in 2016 amid threats from hardline Islamic groups. The pesantren reopened with the support of human rights groups, religious figures and local authorities.

Today, 40 students are enrolled in Al Fatah, where they are taught prayers and Quran comprehension, among other lessons. Most importantly, the pesantren serves as a safe space for trans women to exercise their right to religious worship.

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