Christians and Muslims Join Forces to Fight Stigmas

For four weeks, the "Caravan of Religious Leaders against AIDS" made its way through several West-African countries in order to sensitize the residents to the situation of those infected with HIV. Erhard Brunn reports on AIDS prevention measures in Mali

They set off on November 4, 2005 from Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott - the "Caravan of Religious Leaders against AIDS." Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Niger were also stations on the route of the Christian and Muslim representatives, who planned the campaign as a way of drawing attention to the plight of AIDS sufferers.

The caravan was organized by the West African Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by AIDS.

In Bamako, capital of Mali, the caravan hosted a workshop for 50 religious representatives from the Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths.

In view of the engagement of many West African religious leaders in the fight against AIDS, Mali's Minister of Health, Maiga Zenaib Mint Youba, commented enthusiastically as the caravan arrived in Bamako: "The composition of the caravan, with Muslims, Catholics and Protestants, with people living with the disease as well as journalists, is extremely impressive."

Mali government active against AIDS

With their campaign, the religious leaders are likewise supporting the efforts of Mali's government to prevent the further spread of the disease. "Combating stigmas and discrimination against those affected by AIDS," is their motto, because silence or the dissemination of false information would only contribute to raising the disease's toll. Intensive work must still be undertaken to inform the public on this theme.

Mali's first case of HIV was discovered in 1984. In reaction, the government set up the National Program to Combat AIDS (PNLS) in 1987. In 1996, the Care, Motivation and Counseling Center (CESAC) was founded, primarily to serve the interests of those already infected with disease.

Currently, between about 1.7 and 3.4 percent of the adult population is HIV positive. It is estimated that twice as many young women are infected as young men.

In Mali, the arrival of the caravan coincided with a lively phase in the building of joint Christian-Muslim structures to fight AIDS. Already this past summer, an "Alliance of Religious Leaders" had been formed under the motto "Muslims and Christians Against AIDS."

Joint education

Signed by presidents of the High Islamic Council of Mali, by the archbishop of Bamako and by general delegates of the churches and Protestant missions, the alliance's platform declares that:

"Through this organization, we are showing religious leaders that the various religions coexist in perfect harmony in our country and that, by joining forces, we can overcome all challenges. The work of this alliance is our modest contribution to the considerable efforts on the part of the Malian government and all of its partners in the fight against AIDS."

At a joint press conference in Bamako in November on the occasion of the arrival of the Caravan Against AIDS, the representatives of Mali's three major faiths (Prof. Thierno Hady Thiam representing the Muslim leaders, Pastor Daniel Tangara for the Protestant community and Urbain Sangare for the Catholics) stated that the spread of the disease could be attributed to three factors:

a change in the behavior of the population, away from traditional ties and values, as well as to poverty and to ignorance of the ways in which the disease is spread.

As a common position in the battle against AIDS, they argued for fidelity and abstinence and against the use of condoms, which would only be condoned in one case: in a legitimate relationship in which one of the partners was HIV positive.

The representatives of the three faiths thus chose a middle course in their public statement between the rigid directive issued by Rome and the greater flexibility of the Muslims.

"However, the position of the World Council of Churches on this topic is unequivocal," remarked Helmut Hess, continental director for Africa of "Bread for the World" and member of the Ecumenical Africa Regional Group of the World Council of Churches.

"To save lives, we have to enlist all the means at our disposal, including condoms." On the other hand, according to Hess, "one shouldn't overrate the significance of the condom issue."

And especially not when it's a matter of forming this kind of interreligious alliance in which the goal is to formulate a minimum consensus.

GTZ study on AIDS in Mali

The fact that Mali offers promising conditions for joint activities with Muslim leaders with regard to public information and sensitization to AIDS was already revealed in an April 2004 study conducted by Ruth Bigalke and Heino Güllemann on behalf of the GTZ: "People here recognize the significance of this issue."

After all, maintaining good health and guiding the faithful play a major role in Islam, especially for religious leaders. The study identified Muslim women's groups as being particularly active in AIDS sensitization work in the Muslim community.

Muslim representatives in Mali had already formulated a position with their "Resolution de Nioro du Sahel" of April 2002, recommending the use of condoms only within a marriage and only with a seropositive partner.

When talking with people directly, however, Bigalke and Gülleman heard other opinions on the matter. Their conclusion: "Most religious authorities do not have anything against the condom as such. They object instead to the way in which it is presented to the public in the context of sensitization campaigns."

"For the Muslim leaders," Gülleman and Bigalke found, "AIDS education also offers a way to refer people back to traditional and religious values." This intention can surely be presumed for other religious authorities as well.

Erhard Brunn

Erhard Brunn worked as public information consultant in Niger in 2003/2004.

Translated from the German: Jennifer Taylor-Gaida

Qantara.de

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