A holy war everybody in the Valley wants

[Guest guest]

A holy war everybody in the Valley wants

Faith steps in as imams join hands with health workers to battle AIDS

Muzamil Jaleel

Srinagar, May 19: This is a jihad everybody is cheering on. Its warriors

are health professionals and Imams, its end, the defeat of the spread of

AIDS in Jammu & Kashmir. And its weapons are dry medicalese and the

principles of Islam.

The `holy war' against AIDS kicks off in Jammu & Kashmir next month,

steered by Prof Muneer Masoodi who teaches social and preventive

medicine at the Government Medical College Srinagar and Ashok

Parmar, project director of J & KState AIDS Prevention and Control

Society. The campaign has been inspired by s similar one in

Uganda. ``Since the prevention of AIDS corresponds almost exactly to

the sayings of the Prophet and dictates of the Holy Quran, it is easier for

Imams, Islamic scholars and mubaligs (preachers) to convey the

message of AIDS prevention to the masses,'' said Prof Masoodi.

Quoting from the Quran, he said the holy book categorically orders

people to avoid adultery, which, he says, is one of the main transmitters

of the HIV virus.

``Islam strictly prohibits almost everything that can be a cause of HIV

transmission. A true Muslim has zero risk for AIDS,'' feels Masoodi. ``He

does not attract high risk sexual behaviour because he will never be

adulterous, never be a homosexual, never take drugs whether

intravenous or oral. And when science too warns about the devastating

implications of these practices, changes in behaviour are inevitable.''

According to the National AIDS Control Organisation, the number of HIV

positive cases in J & K was around 15,000 in 1998, which Masoodi bills as

an ``alarming figure''. Parmar adds that since Kashmiri society is strait-

laced about sex, health workers struggle to approach AIDS in a more

direct manner, such as distributing condoms and speaking openly about

safe sex. ``When faith gets involved, our AIDS prevention message will

be much more credible,'' says Parmar.

It was Masoodi, a devout believer himself, who persuaded a group of

top Islamic scholars and Imams around the Valley to step in. ``We

provided them the scientific and technical information about AIDS, its

transmission and the means of prevention. An eminent Ulema (Islamic

scholar) of the Valley integrated the relevant Quranic verses, Hadith

(sayings of the Prophet), Sunnah (way of the Prophet's life) and Ijmah

(consensus) with scientific facts and developed a book for the Imams,''

he says.

After months of groundwork, the group is finally ready. An Ijtimah

(congregation) of eminent Ulemas and Imams will soon be conducted to

sensitise them about the killer disease.

``We hope to involve around 200 Imams. Each district of the Valley,

especially the Jamia mosques, will be represented in this first

workshop,'' says Masoodi. After a basic discussion on the disease, the

Imams will be given the book so that they can talk about it in their daily

sermons.

Parmar stumbled upon the Uganda example during an international AIDS

conference in Malaysia in 1999. ``I came across this great success story

of AIDS education by Imams,'' a project of the Islamic Medical

Association of Uganda (IMAU).

``This spiritually motivated community effort in Uganda has done

wonders there,'' Parmar says. ``I felt that such an innovative project will

be successful in J & K as well, and since then Prof Masoodi has been

involved with it. Though he is not part of the State AIDS Prevention and

Control Society, he devised the project.''

Parmar has suggested that leaders of other religious groups also take

up the issue. ``No religion approves of the sexual behaviour that's

responsible for HIV transmission,'' he said. ``Truckers are generally in

the very high risk category, and since several of them are Sikh, we could

easily start a similar programme through gurduwaras.''

______________________________

The Indian express. http://www.indian-

express.com/ie20010520/nat24.html

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum members:

I take this as an opportunity to congratulate Proff

Masoodi and Mr Parmar for taking this very challenging

task. Religion always has played a very important part

in lives of those who are great followers and also all

the others who are a part of this religious system.

It would be useful to learn lessons from their

experiences specially after all kinds of challenges

the state has faced and the changing HIV/AIDS scenario

in the country and state.

Networking with other organizations ; NGOs and GO

would go a long way for optimally utilizing the

strengths at the start of the programme as we cant

afford to loose time to beging effective , meaningful

and sustainable programmes where religion can have a

pivotal role.

Dr Nita Mawar, NARI, Pune

Assistant Director: SBR Unit,

National AIDS Research Institute

73G-B.I.E., PB 1895, PUNE 411026 India

Ph.: 091-020-7121072 (O), 7129923®, Fax 7121071

Email: nitamawar@...