AIDS AND THE MUSLIM WORLD: A CHALLENGE

According to UNAIDS the number of people living with HIV has risen from around 8 million in 1990 to approximately 34 million today. This advancing epidemic has largely hit Muslim nations where it still continues to be a fast increasing threat. In a Muslim environment, the societal problems in conjunction with cultural and religious norms make it difficult to create awareness in the society and use preventive strategies against this disease. This paper would try to define the extent of the HIV/AIDS problem in Muslim countries, outlining the major societal and cultural challenges associated with HIV/AIDS in these societies. Further it conducts an exploratory survey in Bangladesh amongst HIV infected participants to measure the societal, cultural and religious challenges they faced after being infected. Based on the results of the survey and conducting interviews with Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Bangladesh, this paper would finally suggest recommendations that can work within the social, cultural and religious frameworks, to combat the problem in Muslim countries.