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Author:
Publication: Deccan Chronicle
Date: December 13, 2005
Muslim women wearing burqas on Monday held a protest rally in central Chennai, shouting slogans denouncing what they called the "denigration of women" by the Tamil Nadu government by installing condom vending machines at public places as part of a Statewide campaign to battle AIDS.
"The government is spreading condom culture through these vending machines under the pretext of fighting AIDS. By this our society will grow more permissive and our youth will be ruined," Jamaat-e- Islami Hind women's wing convenor Fathima Jalal said while addressing the rally.
Over 200 Jamaat women gathered for the Monday morning rally at Valluvar Kottam, waving placards that condemned the condom vending machines as a "serious aberration". The protesters demanded that the machines be removed forthwith as the only way to rid society of the threat of HIV/AIDS was "to fear God and change our lifestyle".
The Tamil Nadu government, in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco), had announced on December 1 (World AIDS Day) that 500 condom vending machines would be installed at public places in Chennai, including cinema halls, shopping malls, bus stations and parks. It was also decided to install over 1,500 such machines across Tamil Nadu. State ministers inaugurated a few of these machines on that day to symbolise the State's effort towards combating the disease.
While the government sought to use all and any means to protect the people from the HIV virus - and using condoms has been shown to be one of the best options - the latest move to install condom machines at public places has angered some sections of the Muslim community.
"The rally today is just the beginning. We will not rest until all these machines are removed. We will involve all the women's organisations, not just Muslim, in our fight against this dangerous decision," said Ms Fathima Jalal, adding, "Earlier, youngsters could have kept away from illicit relations out of fear of unwanted pregnancies. Now, with these machines at theatres and near college campuses, they will not be afraid anymore."
The rally was attended by many young girls too, some of them teenagers and some in their early 20s. "These machines dispensing condoms will only spread permissiveness. We envision a modest society so we condemn condoms being made available like this," said Rafia Riaz, who heads the Girls' Islamic Organisation.
Elder Muslims too are concerned that the machines will spread "condom culture" and have pointed to the "highly explicit" anti-AIDS propaganda in the news media and on road hoardings. "Islam prohibited use of condoms. This is not a right move," said the government-appointed chief qazi, Salahuddin Mohammed Ayub, reacting to the condom vending machines. Added Abdul Raqeeb, state president of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, "These machines will only encourage illicit relationships and promiscuity. And that will boomerang on the campaign meant to control the spread of AIDS."
Prof. M.H. Jawahirullah, president of the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, disagrees with the view of Qazi Ayub that Islam prohibits the use of condoms. "Our religion is only against sterilisation for permanent debilitation of reproductive capability among adults. The condom is only a temporary measure to avoid unwanted pregnancy," the TMMK chief told this newspaper.
However, he is dead against condom machines. "We must fight AIDS, but these machines at public places will only promote sex outside marriage among the younger generation. Through its AIDS campaign, the government could end up promoting illicit sex, which will lead to a permissive culture that could boomerang on the anti-AIDS effort itself. The TMMK wants these machines to go," he said, cautioning that his outfit would also launch an agitation if the government did not "take away these vending machines at once".
Faulting the overall AIDS campaign itself for its "overdose of explicit sexual messages that will only encourage illicit relationships", the commerce and business administration professor warned that the TMMK would "react strongly if the government does not heed our counsel to review its vulgar AIDS propaganda".
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