Carey (Boston College) explores how theology, culture, and religious authority shaped Catholic and Muslim responses to the HIV and AIDS crisis in Nairobi, Kenya. The book is not an abstract theology of how religious communities should respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Rather, it chronicles the complexity of their response given concrete cultural and medical obstacles, and how those responses both fit within the teachings of their traditions and fall short of them. He begins with an account of the arrival of each tradition in Kenya, and then alternates chapters on each. He explores how Catholic and Muslim responses were shaped by their authority structures, and how those responses have evolved based on the spread of scientific knowledge as well as advances in treatment. Finally, the book closes with theological explorations of how each tradition grounds the duty to care for the sick. . . an important and constructive work of comparative theology grounded in lived realities. Students of religious ethics and public health will find it a worthwhile volume.



Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates and above.

Choice Reviews

In this careful study of the intersection of Islam and Roman Catholicism in Nairobi during the time of AIDS, Timothy James Carey expands considerably our understanding of the role of religion in public health in general and HIV/AIDS in particular. In light of his findings from each tradition, Carey brilliantly synthesizes their positions on prevention, education, and destigmatization through the language of virtue, an idiom commonly used in religious traditions. Mining the virtues of mercy, hospitality, and justice, Carey advances the work of local religious leaders responding positively to the pandemic but leaves us and them with further questions regarding religion and sexuality and gender. A work of great integrity and compassion.

James F. Keenan, S.J., Boston College

An insightful, carefully researched, and nuanced account of the complex responses to Kenya’s ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis among lay populations, religious leaders, and medical professionals from both Catholic and Muslim communities, often echoing familiar public reactions during the initial AIDS crisis in the United States. Dr. Carey’s work is particularly helpful in emphasizing the deeper human social, ethical, and spiritual ramifications and challenges of this epidemic, too often hidden behind the familiar journalistic rhetoric of public health and policy discussions.

James Morris, Boston College