Promoting reproductive health through religion

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) executive director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid recently visited Indonesia to promote gender equality and equity, as well as reproductive health. Obaid, the first Saudi Arabian to chair the UN body, stressed the importance of religious leaders taking part in the effort to improve reproductive health in Muslim countries during a conversation with The Jakarta Post's Tb. Arie Rukmantara.

Question: In predominantly Muslim countries like Indonesia, the mullahs are highly respected by the people. How can they contribute to improving reproductive health?

Answer: In a Muslim society like Indonesia, a very important principle of Islam is preserving your health, which supports your thinking, analytical abilities and knowledge. Knowledge is the basis on which we make good or bad decisions. The whole society has to be knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS so that people know how to act in a responsible way.

All religions are built on the principles of mercy, compassion and tolerance. So therefore, all religious leaders are responsible for showing such mercy, compassion and understanding. They have to play this role by speaking out at every opportunity, during Friday sermons ... everywhere.

They have to speak about maternal mortality and how women should be better treated. They have to speak about HIV/AIDS and how young people should be careful and protect themselves.

They also have to overcome the stigma attached to people living with HIV/AIDS as they are sick people.

It's not enough to just say that this (promiscuity) is forbidden. They have to go beyond haram. Yes, there are certain things that are haram, but things happen in our society. We should not close our eyes to this.

How can the authorities and the people convince religious leaders to adopt this approach?

Well, it only comes with dialogue. The authorities and NGOs and the mullahs have to get together and discuss the issue openly.

One way of doing this is to provide them with statistics about the reality of the situation.

We have to say to them, 'Look, so many women die, and they leave the children orphaned. Not only that, often many children die after their mother's death.'

We have to show them the number of HIV/AIDS cases and the danger if we keep quiet. I think that when the authorities talk to the mullahs and present real facts and evidence of the real situation, they will be willing to speak out.

They don't speak out sometimes because they don't have enough facts. We have to give them enough facts and information so that they can be knowledgeable.

But some mullahs refuse to talk about reproductive health issues, arguing that they have a different understanding of them, especially on HIV/AIDS. How should we make them understand?

For those who don't want to speak out, of course it is their right not to speak out.

What I'm saying is that as leaders of the people, they have a moral responsibility toward the people.

They have a moral responsibility to point out the basic issue that women, whom God has created and honored in many ways, are dying simply because of giving birth.

Now, that's not a controversial issue. I am sure they will speak out if they understand the problem.

The problem is that, maybe, we don't communicate with them properly. We don't give the correct messages. That's why the dialogue between the government, NGOs and mullahs should be based on complete information about what is happening in Indonesia.

We also have to remember that we can't expect all the mullahs to give the same messages. We have to respect the fact that religious leaders have limitations. We have to respect that there are areas where religious leaders feel free to speak out and there are some issues about which they do not feel comfortable talking about.

And this is where the NGOs, the state and the officials come in. That's why dialogue is important between these parties. Each of them will do particular things in particular areas. What does UNFPA do to bridge the information gap?

We have many conversations, dialogues and conferences with mullahs to present the facts to them. There was an international conference in Pakistan a few months ago, in which Indonesian mullahs participated, about reproductive health and population issues. The mullahs who attended the conference were very supportive.

Our program here supports visits between mullahs from here and Egypt for information exchange purposes. We do try to create an environment for dialogue and discussion with the mullahs so that they receive the necessary knowledge.

Once they get all this knowledge, they will transmit it to the people because the people believe in them and trust them. Can you point to some Islamic teachings that should encourage mullahs to actively promote reproductive health?

For example, there is a Koranic verse saying it is not the number that matters, it's the quality of the people. And there are many examples of the Koran saying that what are wanted are good and healthy people.

What good would it serve you if you have mosques everywhere but at the same time you let people with HIV/AIDS die?

There is a hadith to the effect that when the Prophet Muhammad was asked who is the closest person to a man, the Prophet said your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father.

Mothers have a very special place in Islam. And if you let mothers die, then you are not giving them the honor that Islam demands.