WASHINGTON — Muslim clerics in Pakistan are usually known for issuing stern, conservative pronouncements on gender-related issues, mostly limiting the rights of women. But in a surprising twist, a large group of clerics there has just issued an edict affirming the rights of transgender people to marry.

The ruling, issued Sunday by 50 Islamic clerics in the eastern city of Lahore, said that transgender people may marry under Islamic law and that they have the right to be buried in Muslim ceremonies and to inherit property, according to reports from Reuters and Pakistani media.

Some rights groups said the ruling was confusing and did not do enough to protect the rights of transgender people, who often face abuse and harassment in Pakistan. The edict declared that transgender men ‘‘with male characteristics’’ may marry women or transgender women ‘‘with female characteristics,’’ and vice versa.

Washington Post