HIV, AIDS and ISLAM

Islam is a religion that is very close to human nature. It appreciates the powerful sexual desires that humans have. Therefore it encourages that these desires be fulfilled, and advocates and encourages marriage, so that through marriage sexual desires can be fulfilled. Like other heavenly religions, Islam provides us with a moral code for sexual enjoyment. Islam also prohibits the use of substances, which may impair the senses. Therefore the use of narcotics such as heroin and alcohol is strictly prohibited.

However, we must recognise that people engage in sexual activities before marriage, and there are also people having extra-marital sex. Islam means the submission or surrender of one’s will to Allah, and therefore it follows that a Muslim should not be involved in any act that is prohibited by Islam. Nevertheless, we need to be realistic and must face the fact that not all of us follow our religion fully.

Sexual practices that may not be allowed by our religion do exist. Therefore, there is the need to accept reality and develop HIV and AIDS educational programmes for all our communities. These programmes must emphasise Islamic moral values, but should also inform people about methods of protection from this life threatening illness.

Some Muslims may think that HIV and AIDS are not issues for the community. The reality is that HIV and AIDS are major issues in many Muslim countries. It is therefore becoming extremely important that we accept that we are equally vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Given the increase in HIV infection globally, it is more important than ever that we discuss HIV and AIDS openly (positivemuslims.org)