Scary News....

[eliteSomali]

I actually meant proprtionally/percentage wise not just sheer numbers. Proportionally, how many Somalis have aids...most likely no one knows...so either it has exploded without us noticing or the more likely explanation: it is negligible.

My point is..of course we shouldn't be complacent...but coming across or hearing about a few Somalis with aids doesn't mean we have an epidemic. Ppl are saying Somali youth are more sexually active in the west...yes, but they also benefit from the sex education on offer there as well as access to condoms and clinics. They are in the same boat as everybody else in the west...even better actually because sexual liberalism is alien to us.

Today, women account for more than 1 in 4 new HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. Of these newly infected women, about 2 in 3 are African-American. Most of these women got HIV from having unprotected sex with a man.

When we're putting up those stats is when we need a Somali aids campaign. Right now Somalis have bigger priorities IMO. Start an education campaign for all the kids we're losing out here.

You have a point but in essence a Somali catching HIV due to extentive promiscuity should definitely shock us more than African american female for the subsequent reasons. As a Somali, we're taught from young age to not engage in such activities because of our religion. Of course not all of us obey that rule because there is degree of religiosity. Now in the west sexual activities are deemed appropriate even promoted from young age under the campaign 'save sex'. essentially, the AA womens' case is justifiable while a Somali women or men isn't it because of a divine intervention. I think promoting save sex and contraceptive methods is dangerous because it conveys the message that promiscuity/sex is okay as long as it's done safely.

[Jaidi]

OK I see the thread has gotten a bit serious so ill add my two cents:

If its all about the West and its "liberalism" , then you'd expect for the spread of AID/HIV to be larger in the diaspora than it is in Somali regions. I haven't seen any credible sources that attest to this. Knee jerk reactionary critique of the West always misses the mark. For all the "wayward" youth some are referring to, there are many who are more visibly religious than their parents generation were in Somalia. I'm talking kids who were born and raised in the West as well. In fact all accounts of diaspora communities( not only Somalis, North Africans as well for example) show the younger generations are generally more conservative than the older ones. Its hardly as black and white as people attributing it to, appealing to such moral stances provides little value in my opinion.

I know of a family who's mother/children got infected( and eventually died) from the disease through a tainted blood transfusion in the Gulf of all places , in the 80's. It is hard too imagine that even worse unsanitary medical practices exist in Somalia, and can contribute to its spread. All it takes is one source for it to grow and when it does happen you have to address it beyond appealing to moral norms. Its already too late for that when it exists.

[UlteriorMotive]

OK I see the thread has gotten a bit serious so ill add my two cents:

If its all about the West and its "liberalism" , then you'd expect for the spread of AID/HIV to be larger in the diaspora than it is in Somali regions. I haven't seen any credible sources that attest to this. Knee jerk reactionary critique of the West always misses the mark. For all the "wayward" youth some are referring to, there are many who are more visibly religious than their parents generation were in Somalia. I'm talking kids who were born and raised in the West as well. In fact all accounts of diaspora communities( not only Somalis, North Africans as well for example) show the younger generations are generally more conservative than the older ones. Its hardly as black and white as people attributing it to, appealing to such moral stances provides little value in my opinion.

I know of a family who's mother/children got infected( and eventually died) from the disease through a tainted blood transfusion in the Gulf of all places , in the 80's. It is hard too imagine that even worse unsanitary medical practices exist in Somalia, and can contribute to its spread. All it takes is one source for it to grow and when it does happen you have to address it beyond appealing to moral norms. Its already too late for that when it exists.

That was what I was alluding to. I'm not sure if you're disagreeing with me.

I think promoting save sex and contraceptive methods is dangerous because it conveys the message that promiscuity/sex is okay as long as it's done safely.

Oh no, I meant if the kids are accused of leading promiscuous lifestyles in the west then those who lead that lifestyle presumably have access to the system which comes with that promiscuity (e.g sex education) so they are not particularly vulnerable. By no means should western style values be promoted.

[IronSheik]

Lâ hawla wa lâ quwwata illâ bi Allâh!! What kind of topic is this kulaha xaas kaaga soo test garay maa walaan tahiin. You marry for diin you marry a pious person not someone you suspect has committed multple counts of zina.

[Lamagoodle]

Lâ hawla wa lâ quwwata illâ bi Allâh!! What kind of topic is this kulaha xaas kaaga soo test garay maa walaan tahiin. You marry for diin you marry a pious person not someone you suspect has committed multple counts of zina.

Iron sheikh,
True marriage is based on trust. But, what is wrong in screening? You are living in a bubble if you think that HIV does not affect pious people.

[IronSheik]

Abti please read this

http://www.yunusnews.com/node/371

The study found that as the population share of Muslims increases in a country the number of prostitutes decreases. This, the author attributes, is the major factor for the impact of the presence of Muslims in negatively affecting the rate of HIV/AIDS infection.

Consumption of alcohol was identified as being a factor in increasing risky sexual behavior in Gray’s study. Therefore, by not drinking, Muslims are further increasing their chance of being HIV-free. Also, the Islamic attention to ritual washing and personal hygiene was credited with lessening the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) including AIDS.

When HIV prevalence was compared with the percentage of Muslims within a country, it showed a negative correlation supporting the hypothesis that HIV prevalence is relatively lower among Muslims. Looking at all the data and controlling for other factors that can affect the HIV rate; Gray concluded that “adherence to Islamic tenets seems to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.”



Gray’s study looked carefully at each Islamic tenet that can affect the rate of HIV infection and came to the conclusion that practicing Islamic tenets will lead to lesser incidence of HIV infection. The paper by Talbott on the other hand makes a sweeping statement that “The Muslim faith had no direct significant correlation with HIV levels, but it is significant in predicting the number of commercial sex workers in a country.” He provides no evidence for his statement except to show that ratio of commercial sex workers is indeed less when there is a larger population of Muslims. In fact the positive affect of Islamic teachings curbs the number of prostitutes, thereby removing a major source of HIV infection.

JazakAllah Khair akhi.

[Lamagoodle]

Adeerkiisa,
I am not denying that the rate of HIV infection is lower in Muslim societies. It is also lower in liberal countries because of the usage of condom and information. It is higher n African countries south of the Sahara and Eastern Europe and Asia.

What this actually tells is that religion is not a key factor.

My point is that you cannot protect yourself/your community from a disease by merely claiming that "muslims" don't get infected.

[IronSheik]

Adeerkiisa,
I am not denying that the rate of HIV infection is lower in Muslim societies. It is also lower in liberal countries because of the usage of condom and information. It is higher n African countries south of the Sahara and Eastern Europe and Asia.

What this actually tells is that religion is not a key factor.

My point is that you cannot protect yourself/your community from a disease by merely claiming that "muslims" don't get infected.

Haye abti then you agree with my point be a practicing muslim and HIV infection is lower of course not all muslims are the same there are good and bad. But the pious ones are most likely the ones with lower rates in our societies. That is all that I wanted to say and for you and all to say and hear

[gurey25]

education, education and more education.

this is all i have to say on this subject

[gurey25]

by the way there is nothing wrong in testing.
one of the benefits of living in the Gulf as an expatriate is the mandatory renewal of your 3 year residence visa.
it will soon go down to 2 years.

evey time you renew your visa you need a medical fitness test, which includes a blood test for communicable diseases hiv etc .

i have been tested 4 times in the past 9 years.

[kadarre]

its free and easy here in the uk. You walk into a clinic and get tested for Hep B, C HIV and all other STD's. You call a number 10 days later and you get your results through the telephone.I've done it and Alhamdulilah ''I'm so fresh and so clean clean''.

Somali men need to watch out for diseases that can reduce your fertility. Who wants a ''waxmatarre''?? Leaving the planet without a legacy is a great shame.

[Jaidi]

by the way there is nothing wrong in testing.
one of the benefits of living in the Gulf as an expatriate is the mandatory renewal of your 3 year residence visa.
it will soon go down to 2 years.

evey time you renew your visa you need a medical fitness test, which includes a blood test for communicable diseases hiv etc .

i have been tested 4 times in the past 9 years.

I was going to mention that example as well.

[gedo_gurl]

Gurey, testing is free in the UK and HIV testing is done in 90 seconds, so no wait for results. I wish it were more mandatory and regular like the Gulf states though because it seems like only people who have regular sex/risky sex get the testing...the rest tend to find out in routine blood screens and other scenarios, by which time they might have infected like 3 people.

[barakaboy10]

Apparently they trust each other too much, thinking all Muslims are clean or something. They also have little knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases.

true and that's why i won't trust anybody.

i had known this for a long time.

[gedo_gurl]

Apparently they trust each other too much, thinking all Muslims are clean or something. They also have little knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases.

true and that's why i won't trust anybody.

i had known this for a long time.

Triple up...this Iron Sheikh guy actually posted exactly what I was saying. He is one of them with his 'acuudubiAllahi... practising' blah blah blah, they get it too. In London its normal for very strict Muslims to divorce over petty squabbles relating to diin, things the rest of us forgive...they get married several times and they marry divorcees. Do I have to trust all their ex spouses too? dadkaan wey waalanyihiin.