| Guest Name | Dr Maher Hathout, Senior Advisor and one of the founders of the Muslim Public Affairs Council |
| Subject | AIDS: The Muslim Perspective |
| Date | Friday,Dec 2 ,2005 |
| Name | Abdullah - Uzbekistan |
| Profession | |
| Question | We should not deny Aids in our community any longer. Us Muslims like to imagine we are better than others, and this disease is not apart of our lives. That is a lie, and Allah knows better. Pride, ego, and disillusionment are the enemy of any decent Muslim. We have Aids in Muslim countries. There are gays, drug users, and people who have sex outside of marriage in our communities. Remember that, and then you can fight this disease. Pretend, don't take accurate statistics, be righteous, and hide behind religion - than many people will die. |
| Answer | In any community there are number of people who are taking different styles of life and we cannot deny that there must be among Muslim some who are doing everything like all others do. The only problem is that we don't have accurate statistics because Muslim countries are reluctant to talk openly about their problems. Whenever we find a problem we ought to study it scientifically and know exactly its size and how to deal with it. |
| Name | Arber - |
| Profession | Muslim |
| Question | How must we react (like muslims) when we see the injections of the AIDS virus by the nurses like recently in Libya. |
| Answer | Of course if this really happened, it is a crime that should be tried in the court of law with due procedure and if a just and a fair trial leads to the indictment the law should take its course and they should receive the proper punishment. |
| Name | Ali - Trinidad and Tobago |
| Profession | |
| Question | Salaams. I have read that one of the signs of the last days is a diease that will kill fornicators. Is it safe to say it is AIDS? |
| Answer | I think we had fornicators and mysterious diseases since very early in human history. So we cannot identify AIDS as this disease. I would add that AIDS does not kill only fornicators; so many innocent children contracted AIDS in the womb of their mothers, and so many innocent children contracted AIDS through blood transfusion as a treatment of hemophilia and other blood diseases. So it will be very unfair to use this generalization. |
| Name | Anonymous - |
| Profession | |
| Question | I am a Muslim who never practiced Islam for years. I feel sorry for thousands of sins I have committed in my, including sex outside marriage. I have repented almost a year ago and I have been practicing and my wife is amazing, thanks to God. My problem in brief is that I had doubts I might have picked the virus from any of the prostitutes that I have been to, and therefore I underwent a blood test without telling my wife and the result was positive, God forgive me! Though I thank Allah for punishing me in somehow in this world so my punishment would be less in the hereafter, but the future of my marriage life is bothering me. I could not tell my wife since I received the result 4 days ago. Of course I did not practice any intimacy with her since then, but I am not sure if she was inflicted with the virus before that or not. On the other hand, if I told my wife, she would probably faint and die. I am torn in all sense and cannot think properly. Should I tell my wife? Should I divorce her? If I divorce her to keep her safe, but I am not even sure if she carried the virus or not? I am not totally confused and don't know what to do? |
| Answer | 1. Never give up on the mercy of Allah. We have been promised in the Qur'an that those who repent and take the right course, God will consider their previous sins for charitable deeds. 2. You should consult your doctor for the surest possible way of practicing safe sex with your wife, and a good specialist would be able to help in that. 3. The truth, no matter how painful it might be, is the best way to go especially in marriage life. The wife should be tested as soon as possible. God willing, as a reward for your repentance He will help you and your wife to get over this infliction. |
| Name | Muslim - |
| Profession | |
| Question | How do we deal with someone who has been discovered as AIDS infected? |
| Answer | 1. We should deal with this person with compassion and mercy. 2. We should help that person to get professional help as soon as possible. |
| Name | Aids Worker/Educator - United States |
| Profession | |
| Question | As a Muslimah in the HIV/AIDS field I have come across some tough questions. Some of which are : Where does Islam stand in prevention education, what are we doing about the issue of stigma? Does polygamy have any role to play in spreading HIV/AIDS? When does Islam permit the use of condoms? Do we have enough personnel in our faith based communities to handle these problems, especially Imams? Are they equipped to give information about HIV/AIDS? I have a lot more but I would really appreciate it if these few can be answered. Jazakha Lahu Khairan. |
| Answer | 1. Of course Islam encourages education without any hesitation. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to answer questions about intimate practices that he received in public from both men and women. The Qur'an talks about menstruation and period without any hesitation. So education about these issues in the proper way by knowledgeable people is not only allowed, but it is a must, especially to our young people. 2. If the husband is infected, he will expose anyone who has sexual relations with to the disease. But if he is not, there is no issue here. That does not mean that I condone polygamy in America. 3. Islam does not prohibit the use of condoms or any measure that will make the relationship safer. Of course we are talking about lawful relationship, i.e. marriage. 4. Imams are not trained and I am not sure how ready they are to handle these sensitive issues. However, we are a community blessed with a large number of medical doctors who should take on the responsibility of educating the community about health issues in general, and AIDS in particular. I add that those doctors should also educate the imams about the disease and about preventing measures. |
| Name | Hani Mahmoud - Belgium |
| Profession | |
| Question | Is AIDS a sign of the Day of Judgment? |
| Answer | When people asked Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about the Final Day, he said, "Only Allah knows about it." So let us get more concerned about the way we behave so that when the Day comes we can be salvaged rather than being busy deciding whether that disease is a sign of the Final Day. |
| Name | Zaman Galum - Guyana |
| Profession | |
| Question | I think the issue of stigmatization is rooted in the Arab or Muslim culture, particularly when it comes to AIDS resulting from extra-marital relations. However if we look at the practical sense of it, stigmatization results in no more than frustration, depression, feeling of loss and sometimes committing suicide. What is the Islamic perspective of stigmatization and what does it offer as solutions? |
| Answer | We should not be judgmental. The closest person to God is the one who is most conscious of Him. So no body or no group should claim that they are good and others are bad. We do not judge people, we just promote good behaviour and try to admonish against bad behaviour. And after all the doors of the mercy of God are open to include the good and the bad, the pious and the sinner, and I warn myself and my brothers and sisters in Islam against any notion of stigmatization. This does not mean that we condone a behaviour that is not appropriate. There must be difference between how we judge the sin vs. how we judge the sinner. Every human being, except the prophets of Allah, are subject to mistakes and may sin. This does not mean that as human beings they should be condemned, but the act they committed should be avoided. |
| Name | ALi - |
| Profession | |
| Question | How can AIDS be transferred from one person to another? |
| Answer | AIDS is transferred through body liquids. So the most common way is through semen, but the virus of AIDS has been found in saliva, in tears and in blood. Therefore, it is not transferred through food, and so what needs to be avoided is getting these infected fluids to the blood of another person. That means if the skin of a person is intact and the person is not getting this infected material through his or her blood stream, then they will be safe. |
| Name | Abdel-mohsen Assaf - Australia |
| Profession | |
| Question | State of denial is a very big problem that needs to be tackled in depth. Few years ago we never thought Muslims could have been victims of drugs, now - sorry to say there are even drug dealers among Muslims, selling drugs all over Australia. The reason is that we don't start so early and we think our youth are angels and they cannot go that far. If we apply that logic to AIDS, it might have not spread that much in Muslim countries but this does not mean that we need to nip in the bud. Do you agree? |
| Answer | I agree with you 100%. Muslims are human beings, and all human beings are subject to temptations and are vulnerable to failure. There is no need to assume that because a person is a Muslim that he or she is automatically immune to the weaknesses that all others have. Denial is a cowardly way to avoid facing our deficiencies and carrying our responsibility to correct them. |
| Name | Robinson - United States |
| Profession | teacher |
| Question | What does Islam say about "safer sex"? Is there any such concept in Islam? |
| Answer | Yes, the concept is there. When the Qur'an says, "And avoid marital relations during menstrual period," (Al-Baqarah: 222) it is actually talking about a kind of safe sex both physically and psychologically. Also, when most of the scholars of Islam have agreed that anal sex is prohibited, they are actually talking about prohibiting one kind of unsafe sex. So, the concept is definitely there. Islam in general is for healthy and happy life. The exact measures that can be taken will vary according to different situations and to the advancement of knowledge. |
| Name | Ameenah Kalousi - Lebanon |
| Profession | |
| Question | I think the spread of so many diseases like AIDS and HIV have caused to reconsider many of the things we tend to take for granted. For example, couples undergoing blood tests before marriage is an issue that has become, in my view, a necessity rather than a luxury. I just read today a story of a woman who got infected from intimacy with her husband that had been carrying the virus for twenty years. Now the baby's blood test is positive too and she continues to bear untold sufferings. I wonder why we take this issue of undergoing blood tests so sensitive and so personal while it is important. Does Islam recommend this in any text? |
| Answer | It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Be careful about where your relationship will lead you into." So, this indicates that a certain searching is due to know who a person is getting married to. Hence, knowing about the health of a person through blood test and medical examination is at least very highly recommended. We should not be sensitive towards this issue simply because we are confronted by situations that are new to our life. |
| Name | Norine - |
| Profession | student |
| Question | What are the protective measures Islam takes to keep Muslims and the society safe from AIDS and the like? |
| Answer | It starts at the very beginning by selecting the pious and well-behaved person as one's spouse. And so the religiosity and character of the person should be more important than matters of wealth or physical beauty. Then, each spouse should try to know the most about the potential spouse before getting into the marriage. |
| Name | Muslima - |
| Profession | |
| Question | Can AIDS be communicated through a mother to her baby? |
| Answer | Yes, unfortunately, and that is why so many innocent children are inflicted. |
| Name | Khuzaima Hajar - |
| Profession | |
| Question | How long is a person inflicted with AIDS expected to live? |
| Answer | It varies tremendously. There are reported cases that people were infected and did not show any signs of the disease for 15 to 20 years. This makes it very problematic because they might infect others unknowingly. In most of the cases after the signs of the disease are shown, the longevity is usually short, may be up to 5 years. However, with the new combination of treatment this is very variable now. |
| Name | AIDS carrier - |
| Profession | |
| Question | How should someone infected with AIDS communicate with others safely? |
| Answer | 1. They should not have sex with others. 2. They should not mix their body fluid with others. For example, if a patient has AIDS and goes to the dentist, he or she should let the dentist know so that the dentist can put on the appropriate kind of gloves so that the blood or saliva of this patient should not get into him through skin scratch. |
| Name |
?? - |
| Profession | |
| Question | Do oral sex and the other modern sexual techniques cause AIDS or HIV? |
| Answer | Oral sex, as far as I know, has not been a factor in the transmissibility of the disease. We may say that the worst kind is anal sex because the anal canal is not designed for sex and is not stretchable enough to prevent any injury during the process. |
| Name | Editor - |
| Profession | |
| Answer | Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Maher Hathout for taking the time to answer the questions of Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. If you feel your question is very important, feel free to contact us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] and we will try our best to answer your question. We request our readers to join us in upcoming sessions. |
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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