Asalamu alaikum Gambia-L,

The AIDS epidemic has been described in various ways by
different forums and by different people.  Different as
they may be be its importance is unquestionable. It is
undobtedly the most important public health issue of the
late 20th C. and early (hopefully) 21th C. especially in
the developing countries.  One fifth of South Africa's and
a third of Botswana's population are said to be HIV
positive. Given the current trend it will take a few more
years before a large part of that productive sector
succumbs to this disease.  I must say I do not intend to
dwell on the causality of AIDS here because I do believe it
will only derail tackling the real issues.  The evidence is
overwhelming.

What I want to deal with here is Hamjatta's question about
what has gone wrong?  Why so much AIDS in the world and
Africa in particular.

I think the first reason is that our world has gone mad.
1400 years ago Prophet Muhammad (SAW) predicted that time
will come when people will no longer regard illegal sexual
intercourse as evil and they will no pay Zakat on their
properties.  The consequences would be dire: strange
diseases without cure and lots of natural disasters....  It
is not surprising that the first cases were discovered
among homosexuals and main liners in USA but also among
heterosexuals in Central/Southern Africa.  Allah said in
the Qur'an:

So our commandment came, we turned (the towns of Sodom in
Palestine) upside down, and rained on them stones of baked
clay, in a well arranged manner one after another (11:82).

May be some day I will give the analogy between the stones
of baked clay and HIV.  Suffice it to say the long period
during which the people of Lot were warned to stop their
unnatural act may be likened to the long incubation period
and the stones to the virus.

Our ancient traditions have also contributed to this deadly
human tragedy.  I was listening to a radio prog. in which
a Botswana citizen was describing the sexual orientation of
his people.  It was clear to me sex can hardly be illegal
in that society. We do not have to go far though.  I
understand in the Jola culture it is OK to share wives with
strangers and during circumcision ceremonies sex is free!
(stand corrected on this). On the order hand if one looks
at very religious societies like the Saudi Arabias of this
world AIDS is certainly not a priority disease.

Our attitudes to HIV/AIDS is also important.  The
mainstream scientific community holds the view that AIDS in
Africa is transmitted by HIV mainly through sexual
intercourse.  This disease is therefore at the fore of
human existence. However they say don't moralize the issue.
Why not?  The stigma attached to the disease is perhaps an
inner subconscious moralization.  The problem is of course
that some people are innocent victims.  Well we shall come
back to this in a minute.

Have you ever wondered why the prescribed punishment of
Zinat is so severe in Islam?  One hundred lashes (24:2) or
stoning to death for the married offenders (Sahih
Al-Bukhari Hadith no. 6814, 6833).  Some people say this is
too severe and ancient and that it has no place in modern
society!  Well 1400 years later AIDS has come to achieve
just that as the liberal culture takes hold of the modern
world.

In the mean time we are refusing to deal with this issue in
the above light.  Millions of pounds are being spent on
conferences , researches, ect in the hope of banishing this
menace once and forall in a disease that is totally
preventable.  In the mean time millions of people are dying
in Sub-Saharan Africa of malaria, TB, pneumonia,
malnutrition.  Perhaps what President Mbeki was hinting at
was that his government or in indeed no government can
deal with the problem his country is facing- offering
treatment to 20% of your population with expensive and
toxic drugs.

So what is the solution?

1.  We should stop wasting money and time and tackle the
behavioral problem that AIDS is.

2. Encourage people especially community leaders, imams,
church leaders to speak up.  Lets break the silence.

3. Changing cultural practices.  This should be approached
in a sensitive and sensible way.  We should not be enslaved
by culture especially if it is killing us.  Our marriage
institution need to be revisted especially with regards to
wife inheritance.

4.  We should stop glamorizing sex.  This should look at
what we broadcast on the radio and TV, tourist industry,
night clubs, etc..

I am affraid this is my humble view.

Have a pleasant day

MMC


----------------------
Dr M Mansour Ceesay
[log in to unmask]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------