Muslim women's reflections on the acceptability of vaginal microbicidal products to prevent HIV infection

Abstract

This paper examines South African Muslim women's opinions of the acceptability of microbicidal products to prevent HIV infection if these were to become available in the future. In the context of the HIV pandemic, prophylactic methods such as male circumcision, vaccines and microbicidal preparations are increasingly thought of as ways to reduce the incidence of infection. We examine the extent to which participants' religious beliefs and the implications of religious norms and ideals might influence decision-making concerning hypothetical acceptability to use a microbicide. We conducted qualitative interviews with 29 Muslim women residing in South Africa, a country with one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. Four themes emerged from the data, namely, (1) participants' questioning of the need for microbicides; (2) reasons they gave in favour of microbicide use; (3) the juxtaposition of microbicide use and religious ethics; and (4) the role of religious authorities in decision-making regarding microbicide use. The juxtaposition of microbicide use and religious ethics was further informed by three sub-themes, namely, the life-promoting nature of both Islam and microbicide use, the possibility that microbicide use could encourage sexual risk-taking among male partners, and that the use of these products contradicted womens' notions of ethical agency and ideals about marriage. These themes and sub-themes are analysed in the context of gender relations among South African Muslims. The study findings are significant in light of recent data showing the effectiveness of a microbicidal preparation in reducing the risk of HIV infection in South Africa. We also show that the acceptability of microbicidal products is to a certain extent linked to a variety of religious persuasions and ideals. When microbicides become available in the future, proponents of their use will need to consider religious reasoning of potential users, including that of Muslim women.

Keywords:

• Muslim
• women
• microbicides
• HIV
• prevention
• religion

Notes

1. Traditionally, many interpretations of Muslim personal law have allowed for polygyny (i.e., a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time) with some conditions. The actual practice of polygyny varies in diverse Muslim societies depending on local sensibilities and interpretations of Muslim personal law. For example, Tunisia, a Muslim majority country, legally abolished polygyny in 1956 and argued that this abolition was premised on an understanding of Islamic ethics (Charrad and Goeken 2006). Similarly, Turkey abolished polygyny in 1926, with the implementation of the Turkish Civil Code (Ilkkaracan 2005). In South Africa, the existence and authority of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), the largest body of religious authority in the Cape, cater to the needs of the Muslim population with regard to contracting marriages (including polygynous unions), matters of divorce and inheritance. Nonetheless, the establishment of a South African Muslim Personal Law has up until today not been successful due to various points of disagreement within Muslim communities in South Africa, as well as specific aspects of the proposed Muslim Personal Law that do not necessarily correlate with the South African Bill of Rights. In particular, issues related to Muslim women's rights as well as the acceptance of polygynous marriages has been hotly debated (Jeenah 2001, Bangstad 2007).