There is a growing epidemic of HIV in Islamic nations and the reason is largely Islam itself. The taboo against homosexuality and gay sex is so strong that political and cultural leaders are in denial about the problem -- and they don't seem much interested anyway in helping gays who are suffering from HIV.
What's more, those suffering have a strong incentive to be in denial themselves and not seek what little treatment options are available.
They report in PLoS Medicine that the arrival of HIV in the gay community has been relatively recent compared with other regions of the world, but warn that it is on the rise. In Pakistan, for example, the prevalence of HIV in transgender male sex workers rose from 0.8 per cent in 2005 to 6.4 per cent just three years later.
A problem in much of the Islamic world is that male gay sex is illegal. That and homophobia hamper efforts to contain the virus by making gay men too scared to seek help. Abu-Raddad says that governments are managing "to deal with [HIV] discreetly" by inviting nongovernmental organisations to provide testing, counseling and treatment for gay men.
Source: New Scientist, August 6, 2011
Religion kills, but it doesn't always kill directly and overtly. Sometimes religion kills indirectly, as for example when a religious ideology prevents a person from doing what's obvious and necessary to preserve life or to save lives.
There are lots of examples of this when it comes to diseases -- especially diseases which religious leaders claim are some sort of punishment from God. There are also lots of examples when it comes to oppressed minorities who have attracted the ire of religious leaders.
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