Ulema for jihad against Aids

HYDERABAD: The war on Aids has just been joined by a group that hopes to launch a jihad against the scourge: the ulema. Hyderabad''s Muslim clerics believe that the word of God is the best weapon against Aids and that mosques are the most suitable places to wield that weapon.
The state government is funding NGOs to carry out Aids awareness campaigns but appears to be chary of involving religious leaders in the effort."The government should have taken our help in combating Aids long ago.
Our ijtema (religious congregations) are very effective in communicating with the community,'''' says Moulana Khaled Saifullah Rahamani, founder member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and general secretary of Islamic Fique Academy.
The advantage of invoking the ulema against Aids is that they have the trust of the people, and possess a moral authority that is obeyed in every city, town and village. This power has already been harnessed against Aids in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uganda and other countries, where the ulema are using the qutba (the Friday sermon) to spread awareness about Aids.
Rahamani said, "Islam prohibits free sex, which is the main reason for the spread of Aids. There is a need to wage a jihad against it.''''
However, he has reservations about the concept of ''safe sex'' employed in anti-Aids campaigns. "We religious leaders do not encourage the slogan of ''safe sex''. Our slogan would be ''no sex outside marriage'','''' Rahamani said.