Crux of condom quandary

Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome is not only the most- feared demon in the modern world, but also a devil standing between the state and religious scholars. Debates about the distribution of condoms as a means to stop the spread of AIDS are in full swing.

The Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), which opposes the campaign conducted in red-light districts, has again seized public attention after its chairman, KH Hasan Basri, declared this week that he not only opposes the distribution of the contraceptive devises in bordellos, but also wants them to be confined to drugstores and sold only to couples who can prove they are married and have a physician's prescription.

Earlier, the scholarly council made it clear that its anti- condom campaign was based on moral considerations. The Moslem theologians believe that supplying condoms in brothels endorses prostitution and gives legal support to extramarital relations.

Several experts, on the other hand, have voiced support for a condom distribution campaign limited to places like red-light districts, as an effective way to fight the spread of AIDS. They claim if a prostitute's client refuses to wear a condom, the outcome will be worse than the ulema's worry of moral degradation.

Kartono Mohamad, the vice chairman of the AIDS Foundation, believes that if men cannot resist the temptation of the flesh trade, they should use condoms as a precaution. He argues that religious leaders' sermons aren't as practical as condoms in stopping the spread of AIDS.

Moslem theologians' arguments are based on religious teachings which do not only oppose adultery but also condemn followers for even getting near extramarital sex. They argue it is an evil road which will destroy the very foundation of the family and work against the interest of children yet to be born.

Their philosophy aside, the MUI's idea of limiting the sale of condoms to married couples will be hard to execute even if it gets a strong legal basis. It's a naked reality that supervision is the weakest point of Indonesian law enforcement as well as Indonesian bureaucracy. Furthermore, many doctors are not entirely disciplined when it comes to the moral side of life.

The condom distribution debate is even more complex because experts have stated that the contraceptive does not guarantee the prevention of venereal disease, much less the incurable HIV and AIDS. The State Minister of Population and chairman of the National Family Planning Board, Haryono Suyono, shares this view. He said that the board is not campaigning for condoms but prefers to use a more positive attack by promoting its "Love Your Family" idea.

The MUI must recognize that the condom campaign is a direct result of the government's program entitled "localization of prostitution". The project aims to prevent prostitutes from selling their services on the streets by placing them in brothels where they can be supervised and trained to take up respectable jobs in the future.

Few of them, however, actually acquire skills. Many young women, on the contrary, have been ushered into the "localized" brothels through the services of money-hungry pimps in full view of the authorities. These young women, who were born after the "localization" campaign was thought up, have become the new victims of a vicious system.

The counsel of ulemas should remind the government that seduction is more dangerous than even rape, because victims of seduction become involved in prostitution.