Two Complementary Documents

The aim of this booklet is to introduce the role of religion and ethics in the prevention and control of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, and to convey a strong and direct message of warning about the risks and side effects of misbehaviour. It also urges people to observe religious teachings and cherish moral and ethical values that prevent individuals from getting involved in risky relationships. Furthermore, it aims to encourage them to develop the necessary self-control to prevent them from such dangerous practices, whose risks for human life as a whole are not yet fully understood.

It has "become very clear that the factors and conditions leading to infection by AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases can be avoided if people adopt proper and decent patterns of behaviour, and if they adhere to the fundamental teachings of religion and the moral ethos based on them, which have become the central component of the unique culture of the people of this Region, and their inherited traditions".

Finally, the Regional Office is pleased to present the reader with two documents on this subject; the first one is the full text of the recommendations of the Regional Consultation on the Role of Religion and Ethics in the Prevention and Control of AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (Alexandria, September 1991), and the second is "Health Promotion through Islamic Lifestyles: the Amman Declaration" (June, 1989, and the reference document attached to it.) These two documents, which we hope will help readers learn more on the. subject of the present booklet, are included in issue number 5 of the Health Education through Religion series.