Positive Muslims

The organisation's key strategy is the provision of one-on-one communication and support through a buddy systemthrough which HIV-positive people can have their own friend with whom to share their feelings and emotions. This strategy is in contrast to “traditional care programmes [which] often focus on treatment and counselling services, without taking into account emotional support in the form of friendship.”

Before becoming a buddy, volunteers are required to undergo one week of training with follow-up education in both counselling techniques and medical knowledge about HIV/AIDS and its treatment. The expectation is that the buddy is then able to give emotional support as well as help to monitor a HIV-positive member's health. Positive Muslims director and clinical psychologist Rehana Kader explains, "If the mind is not healthy, this will impact negatively on the person's immune system."

Apart from the buddy programme, the organisation:

• conducts research - hosts a quarterly forum of all Muslim researchers and others working in the area and engages in ongoing research on HIV/AIDS prevalence in the Muslim community and in trying to understand the relationship between Islam, compassion and being non-judgmental
• offers individual and family counselling and support groups
• presents awareness-raising programmes on community radio stations and in schools, mosques and factories
• lobbies all the relevant structures both in government and in civil society, particularly the Muslim religious leadership, for greater support for people living with HIV/AIDS and a deeper awareness of the need for openness and non-judgmental support
• shares information about HIV/AIDS and Islam, upcoming events and news, and its own work through thePositive Muslims website

HIV/AIDS

The organisation says the programme aims to benefit HIV-positive members emotionally and physically through having a buddy to help them become healthier than before. “Without emotional support, people suffering from HIV/AIDS often experience depression, feelings of isolation and alienation....HIV-positive persons need a friend - having a counsellor is not enough to maintain their mental wellbeing."

Positive Muslims came about when Faghmieda Miller, whom organisers say was the first Muslim woman to disclose her status publicly in South Africa, encountered ignorance, denial and rejection when she revealed she was HIV-positive. According to the organisation, "The broader Muslim community appear to adopt an attitude of judgementalism, prejudice, and ignorance towards Muslim people living with HIV/AID’s (MPWA’s). The MPWA’s not only have to deal with their own issues regarding their HIV+ status but also have to deal with certain false perceptions, beliefs, attitudes and ignorance within the Muslim community. Disclosure of their status thus becomes more difficult for fear of not only broader societal rejection, but also total condemnation within religious circles and their families."