This is a piece that I am not going to edit , I just want this particular post to be a true reflection of how I feel about the topic without any word crafting that might impede the message, the reason why I am attempting to write in the first place is to fight prejudice and discrimination based on whatever criteria or traits be it religion , skin color ,gender ,sexuality or even social status.
As a dental graduate I have been introduced to the Acquired Immunodeficiency Disorder Syndrome ,aka AIDS or HIV through many subjects as in Microbiology,Pathology or Oral medicine and I studied it along with other titles and made sure to memorize every single detail so as to pass my exams , I never really gave it special attention until later in life when I realized that it is more of a notion than a disease ,it is a symbol for all we- humans -have been struggling with for countless years.
This is definitely NOT the situation where I would start showing off my medical knowledge or start warning of how dangerous this disease is , so I would rather tackle the subject from a humanitarian point of view of how I believe if we managed to deal with the infected human beings properly we will be given a chance to repent our timeless sin that we commit on daily basis ….. prejudice in all forms.
The problem with AIDS is the stigma it holds , especially in the arab so called “conservative” culture , and I am using the word conservative in its practiced arabic meaning which is “do whatever you please , as long as no one is watching you ,and don’t forget to judge ,attack and defame anyone who thinks differently” so how are we handling it , just announce that we don’t have it and ignore the thousands in need of treatment or at least assurance to be treated as humans that got a disease just like any other and not some devious beings that deserve what they have earned from their actions , coz we are not in a position to judge , or to punish fellow humans for their choices in life or more specifically the choices that were inflicted on them due to reasons we are not aware of .
We are all humans seeking to be heard , to be accepted ,to matter , and by holding the stigma against HIV we are depriving other humans from the right of seeking help , getting tested or at least be heard ,by sticking to the stigma of HIV we are losing our battle against it , we are silencing people’s prayers to be heard and believe me one day you will be in their position not necessarily diagnosed with HIV but may be by being in a place where you are the different one and be treated accordingly so the fight against AIDS is more the fight against discrimination in all forms .
Judging a human because he has a disease is not different than judging someone based on nationality ,race or color so stop judging and start accepting.
In the occasion of the 2010 World Aids Day , that is to be on the first of December http://www.worldaidsday.org/
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