Strong opposition from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) spurred the national Health Ministry's December 4th decision to shut down a week-long programme aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS by promoting safe sex through condom use.

The National Condom Week programme would have influenced Indonesian youths negatively by encouraging them to have pre-marital sex, MUI Chairman Amidan Syahberah told Khabar Southeast Asia.

"It is the parents' responsibility to monitor their youth. I feel regret with the decision," he said, referring to the original plan to distribute free condoms in brothels and nightspots.

Representatives of other leading Islamic groups shared the MUI's opinion.

"The activity was clearly contrary to the teachings of religion," Muhammad Sulton Fatoni, deputy secretary general of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) executive board, told Khabar.

"The distribution of condoms will not guarantee a reduction in the number of HIV/AIDS cases. Instead, it will cause more problems due to the increase in the amount of irresponsible (pre-marital) sex," said fundamentalist leader Hizbut Takwir.

The ministry had approved the programme, which was to run from December 1st to December 7th, as a campaign to help reduce the Indonesian HIV/AIDS rate, after the AIDS Prevention Commission had proposed it.

"We decided to stop the campaign," Disease Control and Environmental Health Director General Tjandra Yoga Aditama said. "In the near future, we will discuss the possible methods that we can use in reducing the number of cases of HIV/AIDS through sex education or other possibilities."

Reactions to the cancellation

Zoya Amirin, a sex psychologist at the University of Indonesia, disagreed with the decision, saying that condom distribution was part of a public sex-education campaign and this did not encourage pre-marital sex.

"Distributing condoms without educating them will not do any good," Zoya said. "But it is important to educate them with sufficient knowledge, including providing information on the dangers of HIV/AIDS as part of a prevention programme.

"We may have to do it a different way – sex education based on the Indonesian norms and culture."

Jakarta resident Nurdin Rizki said he was sad to see the programme cancelled.

"We need to have a broader perspective," he told Khabar. "Allowing the campaign does not mean we are agreeing with irresponsible sex behaviour. I think both approaches, such as a religious, moral approach and a direct campaign will educate our society even better."