Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) has refused to confirm on whether the report released by Muslim Sisters Aids Network (Musanet) on HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among Muslims is true or not.
At its closing session of a three-months training on HIV/AIDS in Blantyre on Sunday, Musanet reported that 200 out of its 1,000 members are living positively with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, a figure well above the official national prevalence rate estimated by the National AIDS Commission to be at 12%. The statitics have shocked many Malawian Muslims.
Muslim Association of Malawi Executive Secretary brother Saiti Jambo told Malawi Muslim Official Website that his organization can not comment much on the report saying “issues of HIV/AIDS are difficult to understand.” He added that “As MAM we have never come up with a report on how many Muslims are living with HIV/AIDS because we know it is difficult to ask people about their status. It relies on only those who have been already tested and voluntarily declared their status,”
Musanet is an Islamic organization in Malawi which was formed three years ago with an aim of breaking the silence that was there among Muslim Women on HIV/AIDS pandemic and it is currently being sponsored by Mai Aisha Trust.
According to its chairperson Jamila Lire, with K800 000 support from Mai Aisha Trust, it has trained over 600 women in homebased care. The organization’s activities have also helped many women to come out in the open and share experiences on HIV/AIDS.
