Muslim Leaders in Mauritania Meet to Raise Community AIDS Awareness
Twenty Muslim community leaders (or Imams) in Mauritania met last week to "get this enlightened section of the population more involved in the fight against AIDS," according to Hamden Tah, president of STOP AIDS, a not-for-profit organization, Reuters reports. Mauritanian officials asked the religious leaders to "warn people about the dangers of AIDS" during the traditional Friday prayers. According to Reuters, AIDS was considered a "taboo" subject in Mauritania until recently. Approximately 0.5% of the population is HIV-positive, "well below the double-digit percentages seen in some West African countries" (Reuters, 3/9).
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