Religious leaders getting involve into the work with population in HIV counteraction
For a long time a large proportion of the
population had doubted the existence of the
HIV/AIDS epidemic, but when they heard
their religious leaders speak with tolerance,
they understood the gravity of the problem.
Involving Religious leaders in working with the population on HIV counteraction issues is one of the main directions of the Component 1 activity – “Regional Coordination and policy development”.
Accumulated experience shows that more and more people see the HIV-infection epidemic as not only a problem doctors are concerned about, but also a many-sided issue which demands the development of a large-scale response strategy. If medical aspects or popular information on safe sexual relations are the only strategies of solving this problem, expected results will not be achieved. In reality this problem is a complicated socio-economical, public and cultural phenomenon which should be considered in the perspective of sustainable development of human society and the spiritual upbringing of mankind.
In the context of such a situation, religious leaders and organizations play a critical role in the HIV epidemic counteraction because of their spiritual guidance addressed to hundreds of millions of people throughout the world as well as trust gained over many generations, reliable communication channels and organizational structure.
Religious leaders are able to contribute to counteraction of the HIV epidemic spreading through their social initiatives and spiritual influence.
Religious organizations can make a tremendous contribution to the process of epidemic spreading counteraction, just as governmental bodies and social organizations do.
Given that, the values of most people are based on religious belief, the HIV prevention information, tied with religious teachings, helps many people change their behavior while maintaining continence and principals of fidelity.
Activity of religious organizations is centered on following spiritual and moral values, makes great influence, first of all, on attitude changing to the HIV/AIDS problem not only in the general sense of society, but at a community level as well.
Throughout of many countries of the world, religious leaders take part in HIV/AIDS prevention in the places of religious worship of various communities including mosques, churches, synagogues, temples and religious institutions under hospitals.
Regional and national religious hierarchies in some countries have demonstrated their readiness to accept these large-scale measures and even before many local leaders do.
In many countries of the world, religious organizations are in the front social row, providing care and treatment for those who are in great need. Preliminary data causes the impression that religious organizations play a very important role in all of the modern and complicated HIV epidemic aspects.
On the territory of Central Asia exist many religions – Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Judaism etc. Islam has been rapidly spreading, gaining the strongest influence after the collapse of USSR in 1992 and the establishment of new Central Asian republics. During the last few years increasing numbers of youth have began to follow Islamic traditions attending in attending mosques. Religious leaders have become more and more respected by people, especially among the youth, playing in active role in political and social life of the population.
In Project member countries Muslim leaders were involved in the National HIV/AIDS prevention programs development, expressing their readiness to help in the implementation process and to work with the community.
In this regard, Central Asian AIDS Control Project made an effort to involve Islamic leaders in working with population regarding HIV/AIDS prevention issues.
The first step in this direction became the conducting of a Round table discussion on a topic “Islamic humanism as the means of HIV epidemic counteraction in Central Asian countries and interregional coordination priorities”. It took place on December, 2006 in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan.
The Round Table goal: to attract attention and joint efforts of Islamic leaders in HIV epidemic counteraction in Central Asia.
Tasks:
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Provide Round table participants with information about HIV epidemic situation in Central Asia
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Exchange the experience of religious leaders from different countries participating in the work of HIV counteraction and discuss the possibility of using this experience in Project member countries.
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Define further steps to be made by religious leaders of Project member countries participating in HIV epidemic counteraction.
The most important event of this workshop was the participation of Mufti of Republic of Tajikistan.
The representatives of Islamic religious leaders in Central Asia, Committees and Agencies on religious affairs and health ministries of four Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) participated in this event.
In the course of round table discussions the participants were familiarized with the situation of the HIV epidemic in Central Asia, exchanged experience of religious leaders’ participation in HIV counteraction, and discussed the possibility to use this experience in member countries.
Further steps in the direction of member countries religious leaders’ participation in the HIV epidemic counteraction were defined during the meeting in Dushanbe and the corresponding document was adopted.
Islamic representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Middle East countries, theology research scientists, health care workers, representatives of crime and executive (punishment) system, governmental structures on religious affairs became the participants of the round table.
Common efforts of Clergy representatives and governmental structures will help to develop coordinated actions and achieving more effective results in realization of initiatives which were developed in the course of the meeting. This meeting became a started point for annual discussions on this topic will be held on a rotational basis in all the Project member countries.
Another step in the work with religious leaders became the development of the Regional HIV prevention educational program on Muslim instructors training. This innovative project will allow Muslim religious leaders to join and promote both educational and reliable HIV/AIDS information as well as spiritual teaching, stimulate change of unhealthy life style, conduct of series of educational workshops among religious leaders devoted to the HIV/AIDS problem and potential organizational development.
The representatives of Muslim Spiritual Boards, Committees and Agencies on religious affaires as well as spiritual institutions of Project member countries are involved in the project activity.
The Project made another innovated step in the course of the work with clergy representatives. Central Asian inter-confessional conference on HIV/AIDS issues took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on April 19-20, 2007 under the assistance of Central Asia AIDS Control Project and UNDP (country office in Kyrgyz Republic).
The main goal of the event was attracting attention and joining efforts of the representatives of various confessions in the field of HIV epidemic counteraction in Central Asia as well as strengthening the cooperation of governmental authorities, religious and noncommercial organizations in defining the priority of directions and actions for HIV/AIDS counteract.
The slogan of the conducted forum was – “Adherence, action, compassion and mercy”.
78 leaders of religious associations, governmental, nongovernmental and international organizations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan took part in the conference.
All representatives of the religious confessions noted that HIV/AIDS presents a real threaten and appealed to religious canon aimed at the protection of health, peace, security, mercy and achieving an agreement in the society. They also expressed readiness to cooperate with governmental, nongovernmental and international organizations in HIV/AIDS prevention.
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