The advocates of Islam are trying hard to make their followers in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region aware of AIDS, using the weekly prayers to preach about the deadly disease.

Imams in Kashgar, Hotan, Aksu, Kezilesu and Turpan have been advocating the prevention of AIDS regularly during the Jum'ah (Friday) prayers since last year, as part of the China-Australia Xinjiang HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project, organized by the ethnic and religious commission of Xinjiang.

"Islam is strongly against prostitution and drug use, the main causes of AIDS transmission in Xinjiang. I often tell people to avoid such things that might hurt them as well as others," said Abdurazzak Muhammad, a 35-year-old imam from the Tusalla township of Hotan.

"Plus, according to the Koran, we should try our best to help others, including those infected by AIDS."

Since a lot of people are not able to go to mosques to offer their prayers, Abdurazzak said he also used occasions like "funerals and weddings" to talk about the disease.

According to figures available with Xinjiang's department of health, there were 24,818 people living with AIDS in the region till September last year. With a population of 20 million, Xinjiang has the highest rate of HIV infection in the country.

The ethnic and religious commission of Xinjiang said nearly 10,000 imams in the Muslim-dominated region underwent training about AIDS prevention and care last year, and shared their knowledge about the disease with about 4 million people in Xinjiang.

"I had no knowledge about AIDS, except that it kills, till I underwent training last year," Abdurazzak admitted. "But now I am clear about every aspect of the disease, and I think I can help people gain knowledge as well."

"Religious leaders are extremely influential in Xinjiang. When they talk about AIDS in the same breath as Islam, it is far more effective than our promotions and efforts to spread AIDS awareness," said Xia Lixin, director of the department of prevention of venereal disease and HIV/AIDS, at the center for disease control and prevention of Hotan.

A 34-year-old recovering drug addict in Hotan, who did not wish to be named, said the imams' words helped him realize the harmful effects of drugs and the constant danger of AIDS.

"I may not listen to my parents, but I certainly listen to the imam," said the man, who said he stopped using drugs a year ago.

(China Daily January 20, 2009)