AIDS preventive measures not haram

A Malaysian HIV/AIDS doctor has rebutted claims that Islamic law is fundamentally incompatible with harm reduction efforts such as needle exchange.
Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, head of the infectious disease unit at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, said drugs and alcohol were haram (forbidden) for all Muslims as Islam forbids any action that would result in harm or destruction.
“However, beyond the simple haram and halal of substances such as drugs and alcohol lie the fundamental objectives of Islamic divine laws, which are the protection and preservation of the faith, life, intellect, progeny and wealth.
Dr Adeeba refuted claims that because drugs were intoxicants they were forbidden under Islam, and Islamic law was therefore fundamentally incompatible with harm reduction efforts such as syringe exchange.
The claims were made by Malaysian healthcare figures during a February hearing on harm reduction conducted by the US House Sub-committee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources.
Dr Adeeba's detailed and eloquent rebuttal of the claims were published in the latest issue of Therapeutics Research Education AIDS Training (TREAT) Asia Report, a quarterly publication by amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research in New York.
“The principle of injury in Islam (darar) asserts that no one should hurt or cause hurt to others (la darara wa la dirar). Drug addiction and HIV/AIDS hurt patients and their families in their life and health. The law requires that any injury should be mitigated to the extent possible,” Dr Adeeba said.
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