Hyderabad's ulemas declare holy war on AIDS

HYDERABAD: The city-based ulemas are enthusiastic about declaring a jihad (holy war) on AIDS.
They believe the terrible disease can be better tackled with the help of religion and that mosques are the most suitable places from where this epidemic can be effectively controlled.
The state government is funding voluntary organisations for AIDS awareness campaigns, declaring AIDS is no longer a health issue only, but a social issue as well.But it has not involved religious leaders to address the issue.
"It''s a social problem and government should have taken our services, as our meetings in mosques and ijtema (religious congregations) are the most effective place to communicate any message to our community," Moulana Khaled Saifullah Rahamani, founder-member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and general-secretary of the Islamic Fique Academy, said.
An additional advantage of pressing religious leaders into the campaign is that they have the trust of the people and also have a one-to-one relationship with many others. They also possess a moral authority in every city, village and even hamlets.
This power of the religious leaders has already been realised in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Uganda and many other countries.
In these nations, Muslim religious leaders are using mosques as platform and making use of the qutba (Friday speech) to increase awareness about AIDS.
In Andhra Pradesh, most religious leaders, particularly in villages and remote areas, do not know about the problem and extent of AIDS. Those who are aware do not realise the important role they can play.
Rahmani said, "Islam strictly prohibits free sex, one of the main reasons for the spread of this disease. There is a need to tackle AIDS on a war- footing through jihad." However, he has reservations about the concept of ''safe sex'' as implied in anti-AIDS campaigns.
"We religious leaders do not encourage the slogan ''safe sex'' (the use of condoms). Our slogan would be ''no sex outside marriage,"'' Rahamani said.
"The government never held a meeting with religious leaders on this important issue. It would be good if the government conducts training camps to sensitise the religious leaders, as most of our people are not aware of the epidemic," Moulana Syed Shah Badruddin Qadri Aljeelani, president of Jamiat-ul-Mashaiq Al Hind and Kul Hind Sunni Ulema Board, opined.