Dear All

Yesterday I met a haematologist (specialist in blood diseases) who works in a country in Middle East. He informed me that the incidence of HIV or AIDs is hitting alarming levels in the Muslim countries and the primary reason is prostitution (bahrain, dubai etc..)

He said many things but the most sad thing is the general unawareness and state of denial which very often results in tragedy like the infected person also transmists the disease to his wife.

Do you have more info about this?

brother smanzoor

Islam forbids all such haram things. how then can it spread at an alarming level in muslim countries? that haematologist has given u the wrong information.  do not believe in what he says.

in future it may spread at an alarming level in the west especially in countries like u.s. where prostitution has been made legal, gay marriages have been made legal, where alcoholism is on the rise, where there are many pubs, bars, where women are raped every second, where there are no morals....

Assalamu alaikum,

Brother Salman, I think you have to realize that there is a huge gap in the way Muslims are supposed to act (Islam) and the way they actually do act (reality).  While it is comforting and nice to think that all Muslims follow the Qur'an and Sunnah and behave in morally upright ways, the reality of that is that many do not. 

Closing our eyes to the spread of H.I.V./Aids in the Muslim world is not the way to stop the spread.  Saying it isn't so won't stop innocent wives (or husbands) from getting this terrible disease from their "straying" spouse. 

Education is the key.  People must be made aware of how the disease is spread and what to do if they have it.  And most of all, people must quit closing their eyes to this terrible thing and quit dying of shame in a society that won't accept that the disease is quickly spreading through it.

I mean no offense to you Brother, I am only trying to convey a truth that you don't seem to accept yet.  Please forgive me if I have offended you.

Peace, ummziba.

ummziba wrote: Assalamu alaikum, Brother Salman, I think you have to realize that there is a huge gap in the way Muslims are supposed to act (Islam) and the way they actually do act (reality).  While it is comforting and nice to think that all Muslims follow the Qur'an and Sunnah and behave in morally upright ways, the reality of that is that many do not.

sister ummziba, u live in west. as i have already stated that it in future it may spread at an alarming level in west. u r giving the first indications to me that it is already on the rise in the west as the western muslims may be doing such haram things.

Assalalmu alaikum,

Oh, my dear brother Salman.  Now you are only showing comtempt.  So, only "western Muslims" stray from the path?  How ridiculous an assumption.  All my Muslim friends are from the east, they all regularly visit there and all have many friends and family there, if they know all about H.I.V./Aids spreading in the east, why don't you?

You are living in a "bubble" of self deception if you believe that only western Muslims are capable of straying while eastern Muslims live a fairy tale life of purity.

That is all I have to say on the subject as I fear I will become angered or unkind in response to such blatent "blindness" and stereotyping.  Have a nice day.

Peace, ummziba.

Bismillah,

It would be very difficult to do a comparative study because of the lack of information gathering done in some countries.

Brother Salman,

It is important to you and your life and your families life that you understand that men can get these diseases and not know that they have them.  There are diseases that barely harm a man so that he might not know he has a problem, but will destroy his wife's personal health, possibly killing her, and can make it much harder of even impossible to bear children.  And then the children can get the disease through childbirth.  People can contract these diseases through kissing and through the touching of the skin without intercourse.

The point the brother is making is that if people don't know there is a problem with sexually transmitted infections and/or diseases, then the problem will definitely worsen.  In the west we are educated because people openly have affairs.  In conservative countries, when people do not get educated, innocent people become infected and harmed.

The point is that we need to care for each other as Muslims and Allah, SWT's, humanity endlessly and with constant patience.  Let's learn from each other.  ISA, khayr.

This is a very important topic, Muslim is Muslim doesn't matter where are they living. Being a Muslim what we require to do, we should try to save ourselves as well as the other bro. & sister who have been strayed away from the right path & going to suffer in this most dangerous & hate able diseases. Why we are making the westerns or eastern block among the Muslims, in this forum, we are one. Lets take every thing in a positive sense, & should try to share the valuable views in the sense that if such kind of ill insect is present among us, then what we should do & how we can save our selves as well as other, I means we should give the solutions, proposals & advices.

Allah Amighty shows all of us the right path. (Ameen)

India's National AIDS Control Organization Reports 72,000 New HIV Cases In 2005

Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=42244

ummziba wrote: Assalalmu alaikum, Oh, my dear brother Salman.  Now you are only showing comtempt.  So, only "western Muslims" stray from the path?  How ridiculous an assumption.  All my Muslim friends are from the east, they all regularly visit there and all have many friends and family there, if they know all about H.I.V./Aids spreading in the east, why don't you? You are living in a "bubble" of self deception if you believe that only western Muslims are capable of straying while eastern Muslims live a fairy tale life of purity. That is all I have to say on the subject as I fear I will become angered or unkind in response to such blatent "blindness" and stereotyping.  Have a nice day. Peace, ummziba.

`As-Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Funny I am muslimah in a metro area of nearly 1 million, there are about 20,000 people to one muslim. and no one I am aware of that goes to our mosque has HIV/AIDS except one person who had it before reverting. Of course it is not the subject of discussion on most cases anyway. I think personally western muslims have to try harder to stay on the path because of the nature of society around us. Since many of the republics you mention are relatively secular, I would base the rates of disease occurence in such theocratic based governments such as Saudi Arabia or Iran. Remember this, in a Islamic society, it is the practice to let non muslims practice their religions and customs in relative peace and unmolsted unless it is obscene. Allah knows best, and no one can Escape His Eye.

Salam/Peace

Yes all religion prohibite "prostitution", one of the most media that causing AIDS transmission. But always there is bad apples. The following aid cases ranking based on countries from 2 sources:

====

http://www.geographyiq.com/ranking/ranking_HIV_AIDS_People_living_with_HIV_AIDS_dall.htm - http://www.geographyiq.com/ranking/ranking_HIV_AIDS_People_l iving_with_HIV_AIDS_dall.htm

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS (All Descending)

Don't worry the Indian percentage is not that high:
http://www.geographyiq.com/ranking/ranking_HIV_AIDS_Adult_Prevalence_rate_dall.htm - http://www.geographyiq.com/ranking/ranking_HIV_AIDS_Adult_Pr evalence_rate_dall.htm

According to the above ranking no Muslim country is falling in this list. Am i right? Al hamdullaha. 

More numbers from African countries, very informative posts by the Administrator & semar.

Dear Everyone

The statistics can be misleading and often completely incorrect.

India has a population of above one billion. Despite its recent progress it is a poor country. Majority of people live below or around the poverty line. Which means they donot have access to basic health facilities, education and awareness, food etc...

Every city in India has its redlight district(s) and sex is a cheap commodity and often the only source of entertaintment. The most risky group of people are the migrant workers, truch drivers, addicts etc.

If you put these together the risk is quite high.

Read this article http://t8web.lanl.gov/people/rajan/AIDS-india/MYWORK/HIV_poor_future.pdf - http://t8web.lanl.gov/people/rajan/AIDS-india/MYWORK/HIV_poo r_future.pdf

mohammad wrote: According to the above ranking no Muslim country is falling in this list. Am i right? Al hamdullaha.  More numbers from African countries, very informative posts by the Administrator & semar.

Brother Mohammad

If no Muslim country is on the list, one of the reasons may be lack of available statistics. Generally such information are suppressed. Imagine who would go to Dubai or Bahrain if they discover the real figures.

As my original post suggests, I personally think that the risk is high. Unfortunately in their drive for progress, some of the middle-east countries have opened the flood gates for any kind of behaviour. Infact they use the lure of sex as a marketing tool.

why are you members giving statistics of HIV/AIDS in India? india has the 2nd largest population in the world. muslims in india constitute about 15% which is masha Allah increasing every year.

dear members, we are not talking about HIV/AIDS in India. the topic is about HIV/Aids in muslim world. 

Just now I noticed in the above static�s if I am not wrong these static�s showing the all of countries, which are suffering, in the high percentage of HIV disease from African Continent non of any country falls in this list from American, European & Asian Continents.

In spite of this fact that in westerns & American countries existing the large Nos. of prostitutions, & the people have more freedom of the sex, without any kind of moral restrictions.

Smanzoor some how I agree with you.

amah wrote: Flesh trade is no doubt sick. Women are tortured and forced into it, what's the men's excuse????

Bismillah,

Sister Amah,

Don't you see that when you say that women are to blame fbecause of what they wear for what men do, for men harrassing them in the other thread that it applies here?  A man saw a woman dressed in a sexy jilbab and scarf (made of silk with some glitter in it maybe) and felt it was his right to attack her.  Her family won't have her anymore because the woman often gets blamed for the attack (what did she do to cause it?).  She becomes a prostitute as a result of being raped and rejected by her family because as an uneducated outcast, noone will protect her at all anymore because she is not a virgin anymore and thus impure.  It doesn't matter, in these twisted minds, what happens to an "impure" woman.

The women don't have respect for themselves or the abilty to raise their social positions and are trapped in a career they never imagined for themselves as trusting, beautiful children.  And they themselves might be thinking:  If only I had worn a plain hijab that day, or if only I hadn't been trying to impress the other girls at school and worn a silk hijab or if only I hadn't put make up on or if only I hadn't worn a tight shirt.

We need to let all people know that purity is from Allah, SWT, and it is renewable.  The only way we can stand behind women and children and men who have been abused and labled is to stop blaming them when they did nothing wrong.  And the prostitutes who at some point make the active decision to whore themselves need to be accepted into society so that they can live lives dedicated to loving Allah.

Think about it.  What if a former prostitute came on this forum and asked for our love?  How long would it be before people attacked her lack of impurity, according to them?  How would we relate to her?  I think that according to the blame the victim mentality she wouldn't last very long among us pious people.

And she never deserved it just because of the way she dressed.

salman wrote: sister amah, not all women are forced and tortured into the profession. some of the women accept the profession themselves without anybody's forcing or torturing. some women think that this is the easiest means of earning money, so they start their owm business. such women earn money by illegal ways. isn't this satanic? men are bound to slip when women seduce men in such ways. but it is every muslim's duty not to follow the footsteps of shaytan but to follow the commandments of Allah. may Allah guide us muslims to the straight path. aameen.

There is a simple rule of economics that if there is a demand the supply will follow.

Cut the demand first. Supply will eventually dry out.

Sister Jenni

Fornication is disgusting therefore Quran is strict on this issue.

The punsihment other than physical is their social banishment 

Let no man guilty of adultery or fornication marry and but a woman similarly guilty, or an Unbeliever: nor let any but such a man or an Unbeliever marry such a woman: to the Believers such a thing is forbidden. [24:3]

amah wrote: How can you blame a woman who is forced? anywayz.......

sister amah, then why are you asking us men an excuse? do you think it is the men who force women into such professions? then you are mistaken. majority of them are women who force and torture other women into this profession. men just get slipped into the trap when a women seduces a man in such a way. most women sell their girls to this profession. now can you women give an excuse???

Salam,

I don't see why there's a competition to put blame on the "men" or on the "women."  We all agree, I assume, that anyone who engages in such activities -- male or female -- has strayed.

Rather than pointing blame, shouldn't we discuss more about the problem itself?  Undoubtedly, it is a widespread, and growing, problem in many countries.  Unfortunately it's a topic I don't know much about, so I don't have much to say.

And the immunity to AIDS . . . I've never heard that.  It is indeed fascinating.  Is there somewhere I can look to for more information on that?

amanzar wrote: Salam, I don't see why there's a competition to put blame on the "men" or on the "women."  We all agree, I assume, that anyone who engages in such activities -- male or female -- has strayed. Rather than pointing blame, shouldn't we discuss more about the problem itself?  Undoubtedly, it is a widespread, and growing, problem in many countries.  Unfortunately it's a topic I don't know much about, so I don't have much to say. And the immunity to AIDS . . . I've never heard that.  It is indeed fascinating.  Is there somewhere I can look to for more information on that?

Yes amanzar, I agree with you as the women blame the men and vice versa...

But the power of Allah (swt) has given, both sexes are equal and no matter man or woman, it is Allah only, that knows the truth and therefore we have no right on judging who is wrong and who isn't.

Instead of being soo sorry for what you see is happening, go out and do something. If someone is capable, and living in a muslim country, go out and talk to some one and educate others if you have good enough information.

As a good Muslim, we are responsible for other Muslim brothers and sisters. Have meetings in Mosques and make it an every once a week project. Get the trust of others sor it could bring positive results inshallah.

Salaam

Bismillah,

Have meetings in mosques?  That's a guy thing and an Arab thing.  Last time I looked, I wasn't allowed to "make meetings in mosques."

I agree with Brother Smanzoor and others who said it.  If the demand wasn't there, the supply would dry up.

Salam,

Eliminating the demand would be spectacular, but unfortunately it's unrealistic. 

And since when is having meetings in Mosques a "guy thing" or an "arab thing"?  Mosques belong to us all . . . if anyone desires to have a meeting, as long as it's for the sake of Allah, it shouldn't be a problem.  In my community, women have many activities at the Mosque.  They are an important part of the community, and sometimes the contributions they have are just as significant, if not more, than men. 

Moreover, it's a generalization to say that it's only men who crave sex and attention.  Provocative dresscodes and behavior -- which is more common in women than men -- is a clear indication of the contrary.  But again, pointing blame gets nowhere.

Hayfa wrote: sister amah, then why are you asking us men an excuse? do you think it is the men who force women into such professions? then you are mistaken. majority of them are women who force and torture other women into this profession.  Is this your profession to study the trafficking of women and girls (and young boys too)?

sister please mind your words of what you speak ! i live in india. in india, this is very much prevalent that is HIV/AIDS and so many programs are shown on TV in india regarding creating awareness among people, and regarding various criminal acts and what are the sources of this profession. sister amah asked for an excuse from us men. she put the blame on us men first. so i am defending it. there are many sex workers in india. and they are women. now do you women have an excuse for this?

I know it is not the issue under discussion but on MOSQUES this is an interested post which I copied from http://hotcoals.org/?p=56#comments - http://hotcoals.org/?p=56#comments  . I just wanted to share it  with you

I think it is relevant to the utility of mosques (generally) in the Muslim world.

************************************

In the Muslim world the Mosque is reduced to a place of worship, which is led by a professional priest. This culture is exported whereever Muslims migrated.

I have some observations below:

� Mosques are run more like an enterprise and rarely serve as a community center for the people of the locality.
� They are reduced to a mere place of worship where rituals are performed.
� The leadership of these mosques does not represent the community but generally imported from somewhere else.
� There is rarely a library, study center, recreation center or social services attached to these mosques.
� They have a negligible influence in resolving the social issues of the neighborhood.

These facts reveal that mosques do not serve as our community center. And in the absence of any other type of community center we can say that Muslims generally have a very low level of social integration; people are not connected; they do not communicate; there is no grass roots level dialogue on our social problem and our leadership is not elected rather imposed; there is no love for learning; there is no concept of common good. This represents our failure as a community.

But imagine for a moment that these mosques could be:

� A community center whose leadership is elected by the neighborhood community;
� A place where people frequently gather and offer gratitude to their creator and help each other in solving their social, political and economic problems;
� A place for learning, where kids and adults participate in learning activities;
� A platform for voluntary work.

Some suggestion on how can this be achieved:

� By promoting community leadership by the people for the people instead of professional clergy
� By educating people about benefits of community, goodness and cooperation
� By developing and executing strategies and programs which promote common good and voluntary participation

Best Regards

I didn't even know Mosques weren't like that.

Naive on my part, I suppose.   I've been to Mosques all over the East Coast of the US and mostly they do serve as community centers.

I don't know exact Hadith, but I know the Prophet (SAW) said that our first priority is to our families and our second is to our communities.  So participating in such activities is a form of worship in itself.

It doesn't make sense to me why the Mosque wouldn't be a community center anywhere.  I guess you learn something new everyday.

I did not know this! Can you give me some reference pls?

It was on a show on PBS called the Secrets of  the Dead. A brief written synopsis is on their web site.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_plague/ - http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_plague/

ummziba wrote: Assalamu alaikum, Brother Salman, I think you have to realize that there is a huge gap in the way Muslims are supposed to act (Islam) and the way they actually do act (reality).  While it is comforting and nice to think that all Muslims follow the Qur'an and Sunnah and behave in morally upright ways, the reality of that is that many do not.  Closing our eyes to the spread of H.I.V./Aids in the Muslim world is not the way to stop the spread.  Saying it isn't so won't stop innocent wives (or husbands) from getting this terrible disease from their "straying" spouse.  Education is the key.  People must be made aware of how the disease is spread and what to do if they have it.  And most of all, people must quit closing their eyes to this terrible thing and quit dying of shame in a society that won't accept that the disease is quickly spreading through it. I mean no offense to you Brother, I am only trying to convey a truth that you don't seem to accept yet.  Please forgive me if I have offended you. Peace, ummziba.

Ameen! Many issues are affecting this ummah, which we chose to sweep under the carpet--domestic abuse, racism, poor treatment of women, homosexuality, homelessness...please stop blaming the West!  Even Saudi is running rampant with prostitutes...imagine that fully covered yet selling your bodies...Numerous maids are raped on a daily basis in Saudi as well, by the men...Let's stop pretending the East is a safehaven, and address the issue.