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Prisoners of AIDS
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The Yaddah Dah Allah Muslim Women Association is a support group for Muslim women living with HIV/AIDS in Accra, Ghana |
They gather in a small room every third Thursday of each month. Some of them are here to work, some here to talk. Others only come to find a place where they feel they can belong.
The 40 or so women in the room may have looked different and came from various backgrounds. But all of them had two things in common; they were all Muslims, and they were all diagnosed HIV-positive.
“We draw strength from each other here. We share stories between us. Just by talking – just by knowing there are others going through the same thing – gives us hope to carry on,” said Mariam Youssif, the group’s energetic leader.
The Yaddah Dah Allah Muslim Women Association is a support group for Muslim women living with HIV/AIDS in Accra, Ghana. The women gather there to share stories, share the burden, and work. They produce beautiful handmade cloths and beads. These are then sold to support the group’s activities.
Secret Hope
| When asked if they use their gatherings to vent off their anger at their husbands, the women all strongly said no |
Most of them come to these meetings in secret, amidst fears of their communities knowing they are HIV-positive. “I tell my family I’m going to the market. I cannot tell them I come here or I would become an outcast forever,” explained one of the women in the group, her wrinkles betraying her age.
But most of them say they have never been in a relationship with anyone other than their husbands. In Muslim communities, most women living with HIV/AIDS get the virus from their husbands.
“Many men here have more than one wife. So if the husband gets infected, so will everyone else,” said Youssif. “The problem is that if a Muslim woman is infected in Ghana, she is a prisoner forever.”
Yet ironically, they cannot reveal their status to their husbands or families out of fear of being kicked out of their homes or even out of their communities.
When asked if they use their gatherings to vent off their anger at their husbands, the women all strongly said no. “We are here only to draw strength from each other,” said a young woman in the group.
Determination
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| They produce beautiful handmade cloths and beads. These are then sold to support the group’s activities |
In Ghana, the Muslim community has the lowest levels of status disclosure amongst all other groups. “People would rather kill themselves than bring it out,” said Youssif sadly.
Youssif has lost her husband and three of her five children to AIDS. However, unlike many others, this did not break her. In fact, it gave her more determination to lead this small group and be an active voice in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“I believe radio is the most powerful tool to spread awareness for our cause,” she said. “I have been on several radio programs, but I never disclose my identity on air.”
She goes on to explain how many Muslim women seek her and her group out after the shows are over. They all come looking for hope and support among others who can feel their pain.
This inspires Youssif, who is clearly a fighter, to continue to actively participate in awareness programs. She is not shy to share her story. She is not scared to talk about her status. She stresses that she wants to be a role model for other Muslims facing life with HIV/AIDS.
In fact, she will stop at nothing to spread awareness. “I want to reach the Grand Mufti of Ghana. If he knows about us he will surely help us. This is part of our religion.”
While many ethnic groups in Ghana, and around sub-Saharan Africa, have many support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS, the Muslim community has the fewest. Many people don’t even know that the Yaddah Dah Allah support group exists.
Stigma
| While some were strong and determined to make the best of their lives, others were emotionally broken |
That is why Youssif wants to reach the Grand Mufti with her message. She wants to seek his help in mobilizing the Muslim community against the virus.
“The Mufti spoke about HIV in a few Friday sermons,” she said. “But that is not enough, there must be more in order to fight the spread of the virus and to fight stigma.”
Stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS is still high in Ghana, but is highest among Muslims. Youssif believes the problem is that the community still refuses to talk about HIV. Denial is the virus’s strongest weapon against Muslims.
“When I knew my status, I refused to take any medications,” explained a young woman from the group. “I was scared someone might see me going to the clinic or see the pills with me.”
“That would have totally devastated me.”
While Youssif is an extremely charismatic and powerful character, the rest of the group are not that energetic. A few of the women explained that these meetings were their only outlet.
One by one, the women began to share their sad stories of how they got infected. While some were strong and determined to make the best of their lives, others were emotionally broken by the load of bearing the virus alone and in secret.
Need
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| All the women gathered in that small room agreed that being part of the support group brought a positive change to their lives |
"I was so lost and lonely,” said a mother of two within the group. “Finding this group brought so much joy to me. It really saved me,” she continued with teary eyes.
All the women gathered in that small room agreed that being part of the support group brought a positive change to their lives. One commented that the day she spent there once a month was the only time she truly felt liberated.
“There is a lot that the Muslim community can do to help women like us,” said Youssif, standing among the women of the group. “But the first step is for them to accept that HIV is present among us. Only then can we truly face the virus and stop it.”
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Mohammed Yahia is an editor in the Health & Science section at IslamOnline.net. He has a degree in pharmacology from Cairo University, Egypt. You can contact him by sending an e-mail to ScienceTech@islam-online.net
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