Irfan Akhtar; Interact, 1/7/08; Summer: Islamic religious leaders in Yemen are playing a key role in raising awareness about HIV and AIDS. Irfan Akhtar is a Progressio development worker in Yemen. The workshop described was held in October/November 2007 and was organised by Progressio and the Interaction in Development Foundation in coordination with the Sana’a local council and the National AIDS Programme.
“Our religious duty is to prevent this disease from spreading among the people and to reduce the stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS.’ These words may not seem controversial, until one realises they were spoken by an imam of a mosque in Yemen. Sheikh Abdul-Wali al-Qadasi, imam of the al-Faniah mosque in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, went on to say: ‘Islam teaches us to respect other people’s rights, including those people infected with HIV. I hope to meet people living with this disease and to help guide them to a shining future.’
See: http://www.progressio.org.uk/
Sheikh Abdul-Wali al-Qadasi was speaking at a training workshop for religiouspreachers (imams and khateebs) and female religious guides (murshidat) organised by Progressio and our Yemeni partner organisation, theInteraction in Development Foundation. The workshop — following on from the model of similar, succesful workshops held by Progressio — aimed to increase the religious leaders’ knowledge of HIV and AIDS and promote the positive role they can play in reducing stigma and discrimination.
‘Mosques and religious leaders have a strong position in the hearts of Yemeni people,’ said Sheikh Jabri Hasan
Ibrahim, a well-known religious figure in Yemen and one of the workshop facilitators. Religious leaders are therefore well placed to help spread awareness about HIV and AIDS in this fiercely traditional society. They have easy access to the people and many opportunities to talk to them and discuss issues within the ethical framework provided by their religion.
In his workshop session on stigma and discrimination, Sheikh Jabri Hasan Ibrahim talked about HIV and AIDS from an Islamic perspective, using many references from the Qu’ran and the Hadith (oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the prophet Mohammed) to highlight Islamic teaching on avoiding high risk behaviours and dealing with people living with the disease.
In the session, the initial view of many of the participants was that AIDS is a punishment for those who are not following the religious teachings. The ensuing debate revealed a wider perspective, however, including the ideas that AIDS is a test from Allah of human beings’ patience; that this test is a gift from Allah andnot an ordeal or trial; that in Allah’s eyes there is no difference between healthy and sick people; that AIDS is a disease like other diseases; that Allah has damned the sin itself, not the sinners.
After further discussion, participants at the workshop agreed that they as Muslims should respect the dignity and humanity of people living with HIV and AIDS, who should be given care and support as Islam is the religion of love and peace.
‘We are reluctant to talk about HIV and AIDS as it deals with sex and sexuality,’ said Sheikh Jabri Hasan Ibrahim. ‘But in Islam, sex and sexuality is also described in a scientific and healthy manner.’ People living with HIV and AIDS, he said, are in more need of love, passion, care and support to live healthily.
At the end of the session, the male preachers and female religious guides were asked to write a prototype sermon (khutba) on HIV and AIDS, based on the knowledge and understanding gained in the workshop. These were then discussed the following morning, and participants also received sermon materials prepared by Sheikh Jabri Hasan Ibrahim and guidelines on HIV and AIDS from the National AIDS Programme. Most of the imams subsequently delivered a sermon on HIV and AIDS in their mosques in Sana’a on World AIDS Day, bringing — as the workshop organisers hoped — their new awareness of HIV and AIDS and message of compassion and understanding to a wider audience.
