Australia: mosques, a privileged space to talk about reproductive health with Muslim women

In an article published by The Conversation, an international non-profit online media outlet which publishes analyzes and articles written by researchers and academics, Sadia Hossain, lecturer-researcher in public health at Western Sydney University, discusses the results of the WARDA project, dedicated to Muslim women’s access to information on reproductive health in Australia.

Also a volunteer with the Australian Islamic Medical Association, notably as part of blood donation campaigns organized in mosques and the LifeSavers program, Sadia Hossain presents an experiment carried out over two years with Muslim women in Sydney and New South Wales.

Muslim women still far from certain care

The study shows that mosques can play an important role in providing Muslim women with access to reliable and appropriate information regarding their reproductive health. The WARDA project, whose name means “rose” in Arabic, started from an observation: some Muslim women hesitate to consult or ask questions concerning contraception, periods, pregnancy, childbirth or even sexuality.

Among the obstacles identified are fear of discrimination in the health system, lack of knowledge of how it works, particularly for women born abroad, but also questions about the compatibility of certain treatments or medical practices with their religious beliefs.

Added to this, in certain communities, are cultural norms that make open discussions around periods, sexuality, contraception or pregnancy difficult.

Workshops organized within mosques

To address these challenges, researchers worked directly with Muslim women, religious leaders, community volunteers and health professionals. Exclusively female discussion groups were organized in several mosques in order to better understand what reproductive health meant for the participants, to identify existing gaps and to determine the most appropriate responses.

An advisory group made up of religious leaders, health professionals and figures from the Muslim community in New South Wales supported the project.

Four community booklets were thus developed with a specific objective: to offer scientifically reliable information based on medical knowledge, while taking into account the religious values ​​of Muslim women.

490 women participants and 21 languages ​​represented

A total of 26 workshops were delivered to 490 women at mosques and Muslim organizations across New South Wales.

The profile of the participants was very diverse: 30% were born in Australia, the others were from 33 different countries and 21 languages ​​were represented.

Furthermore, 67% lived in areas that were among the most socially deprived, while 67% had at least a bachelor’s degree.

Translating health messages is not enough

One of the main lessons of the project is that simply translating classic public health messages into different languages ​​is not enough. Many participants explained that they needed information that took their faith into account, but also needed reassurance from women with religious legitimacy about the compatibility of medical advice with their Islamic beliefs.

The exclusively female workshops also made it possible to create an environment considered safer, without judgment or guilt.

A 23-year-old participant, born in Pakistan, explains that she feels more comfortable asking questions surrounded by women sharing the same values ​​and the same references. She also highlights the importance of distinguishing religious prescriptions from certain myths or cultural traditions that can be harmful to women.

Very largely positive results

The evaluation results were particularly positive: 99.8% of participants said they would recommend the workshops and resources to other women, 91.2% found them very useful, and 81.8% indicated they intended to change certain practices after their participation.

Among the actions envisaged are in particular the monitoring of the menstrual cycle, the carrying out of a cervical cancer screening, the use of certain health centers or even the transmission of the information received to daughters, sons, husbands, neighbors and friends.

Several participants now want these workshops to be organized regularly and offered to more age groups.

They also ask that new topics be addressed, notably premenopause and menopause.

Finally, some are calling for similar programs to be offered to men and boys so that they better understand female reproductive health and can be more supportive of women.

Mosques as public health relays

For Sadia Hossain and those responsible for the project, this experience shows that mosques and religious leaders can become real public health relays. By working with Muslim communities rather than simply sending them externally designed messages, health authorities can reach women who sometimes stay away from traditional systems.

The Australian experience thus shows that medical knowledge and religious references are not necessarily contradictory. Their articulation can, on the contrary, help to remove certain taboos, combat preconceived cultural ideas and facilitate Muslim women’s access to care.