Religious leaders told to join AIDS campaign<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Unlike in other countries, people living with HIV\/AIDS in
\nIndonesia are ostracized by religious leaders, who should play a
\npivotal role in the fight against the virus.<\/p>\n
\"We often meet religious leaders who stigmatize people with
\nHIV\/AID as unforgivable sinners. They also believe the virus is
\nhighly contagious and easily spread,\" Husein Habsyi, vice
\npresident of the Pelita Ilmu Foundation (YPI), told a discussion
\nhere on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Habsyi said that religious leaders were so ignorant that they
\ndismissed the possibility of their communities being affected by
\nthe virus.<\/p>\n
\"Their perception is totally wrong,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Faraj, founder of the Muslim AIDS Project (MAP), a non-
\ngovernmental organization that promotes objective and non-
\ndiscriminatory treatment of people with the virus, is proof of
\nhow wrong that perception is.<\/p>\n
Faraj said he contracted HIV when he was a lecturer at a
\nMuslim boarding school in 2001. He had studied at the same
\nschool.<\/p>\n
\"Having a strong religious background does not protect someone
\nfrom being infected with the virus,\" said Faraj, whose wife and
\ndaughter have tested negative for HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n
Both Habsyi and Faraj believe that religious leaders could
\nplay a leading role in curbing HIV\/AIDS infection and eliminating
\nthe stigma against people living with the virus.<\/p>\n
\"In Uganda, clerics educated and informed the public about
\nHIV\/AIDS, and that managed to reduce the number of new cases to 8
\npercent per year, from 14 percent previously,\" said Habsyi.<\/p>\n
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV\/AIDS (UNAIDS) has
\nnamed Uganda a model country in the fight against the virus, in
\nwhich religious leaders took the initiative to control its
\nspread.<\/p>\n
In Thailand, Buddhist monks have a set schedule in which they
\nvisit people living with the virus in the afternoons. Among those
\nthey visit are fellow monks.<\/p>\n
\"The monks talk to students, pass on information on the virus
\nand on how to prevent it from infecting them, by ways of using
\ncondoms and new syringes. The program works very well,\" said
\nHabsyi.<\/p>\n
Faraj founded MAP to encourage the community to treat people
\nwith HIV\/AIDS equally and fairly.<\/p>\n
\"I want people with HIV to be well-accepted by the whole
\ncommunity,\" said Faraj.<\/p>\n
He himself has experienced discrimination.<\/p>\n
\"Once I was asked to leave my rented house, as the owner, who
\nis a Muslim like me, found out that I was HIV positive. I felt
\nvery sad, but realized there was still a lot of work to do,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
His foundation offers training to people to collect the right
\ninformation on HIV\/AIDS and psychosocial support for people
\nliving with HIV and their relatives. It also publishes books.<\/p>\n
The organization has also started to approach Muslim schools
\nand universities.<\/p>\n
\"We provide peer education and training to help young Muslims
\nfight discrimination against people with HIV\/AIDS,\" said Faraj.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religious-leaders-told-to-join-aids-campaign-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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