Saif ur Rehman Raja

Saif ur Rehman Raja (; ; born 4 January 1994) is a Pakistani-Italian educator and author, known for his 2024 debut novel Hijra.

Early life Saif ur Rehman Raja was born in 1994 into a Pakistani Muslim family in the city of Rawalpindi, the oldest of three brothers. His given name was chosen by his paternal grandfather, Farmaan, who wanted to celebrate the birth of his first grandson from one of his sons. Over the years, he regularly spent his vacations with his grandmother Sakina in Rawalpindi.

During his teenage years, Raja came out as gay to his mother, finding difficult acceptance in spite of her affection, and later to the rest of the family, with his father's violently rejecting his sexuality.

Academic career In 2021, Raja graduated in Education Sciences at the University of Bologna with a thesis on infidelity and jealousy in monogamy and ethical non-monogamy, which was awarded a prize by the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR). He subsequently pursued a PhD at the University of Siena, graduating in December 2025.

As an education researcher, his main fields of interest are multiculturalism, critical race theory, postcolonial theory, whiteness studies, critical pedagogy and intersectionality.

Literary career In 2023, Raja was a finalist in the 2023 edition of the , in the short story category. The book has enjoyed wide critical acclaim in Italy and has been translated into Slovene.

In Hijrawhose title references the term used in some South Asian cultures to designate transgender or non-binary people, which his father used against him and to prioritize respect for others as necessary for their self-acceptance. Notable figures who appeared alongside him were Francesca Archibugi, , , , Giancarlo De Cataldo, Viola Di Grado, Alain Elkann, Emily Greenhouse, Isabella Hammad, Daniele Mencarelli, Andrea Molesini, , Tommaso Pincio, , Nadeesha Uyangoda, , and Carlo Vecce.

Personal life Since 2014, Raja has lived in Bologna. He identifies with the term ('faggot') as a form of reappropriation. His practice of Islam is centered on a decolonial and non-binary perspective.