“Next year, we will make it mandatory for all states to impose the HIV screening as part of the pre-marital course [for Muslims].”
The Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak as quoted by Bernama on 18 Nov announcing new measures to reduce HIV infections among women, which are on the rise. Currently only the states of Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor have made it compulsory for couples to undergo HIV screening prior to getting married.
“We would like to once again reiterate that mandatory testing all Muslim couples before marriage is not the solution.”
Malaysian AIDS Council president Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman in a statement released on 21 Dec (source: theSun), making a stand against the government’s plan to introduce mandatory pre-marital HIV screening for Muslim couples. She gave four reasons, including that such testing has shown to have limited impact in controlling the spread of HIV infections. 
