‘We’re Muslim. Here’s why we’re happy giving our children the HPV vaccine’
Low uptake is putting Muslim teens at risk of cancer. Now parents are fighting back against misinformation and say the jab is compatible with Islam
–
At her GP surgery in Leeds, Dr Mariya Aziz says she has been performing more sexual health checks on young Muslim women than ever. But when it comes to Muslim parents, she adds, attitudes around sexual health are changing more slowly — leaving young people at risk.
It’s a particular problem when it comes to the vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV). The NHS has made it available to 12- and 13-year-old girls since 2008 and boys of the same age since 2019; it protects against nine strains of HPV, five of which are leading causes of cervical cancer, as well as oral cancer, anal cancer and cancers of the genitalia.
But misguided concerns about side effects and belief that the vaccine encourages extra-marital sex have made some parents reluctant to allow their children to receive it. A 2019 study in the British Medical Journal found that Muslim faith schools had significantly lower uptakes of the HPV vaccine by pupils than the national average, while a survey of 29 HPV vaccine-reluctant parents in London and south-west England, published last year by BioMed Central Health, found that about half were Muslim.
“I think third-generation mothers like myself would be quite happy for their daughters to have the HPV vaccine,” said Aziz. “However, there are specific Muslim communities whose uptake is quite poor. Statistically, if you look at the South Asian community, they tend to have lower health outcomes across the board because of their lack of engagement.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said earlier in March that up to a third of secondary students in London had not been vaccinated against HPV. While religious concerns were cited as one factor in vaccine hesitancy, the researchers found that parents were more concerned about the vaccine’s alleged side effects, all of which have been proven to be unfounded. Once those fears were laid to rest, interviewees said they were more likely to allow their children to get vaccinated.
For doctor Shazia Khan, from Leeds, having her daughter vaccinated against HPV was an easy decision. Khan’s daughter, now 22, was vaccinated at secondary school, and Khan says she faced no judgement or pushback from friends or family, who respected her professional knowledge about immunisation.
“It is really important to get the HPV vaccine to prevent a number of cancers which are associated with HPV,” Khan said. “It has been shown to reduce the chances of getting these cancers. Why wouldn’t you want to reduce any chance of your child getting them?”
London-based school administrator Amina’s* 11-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter have also both been vaccinated. In Britain, the vaccine’s uptake by boys in years 8 to 10 remains lower than that of girls, mainly due to the misconception that boys have a lower risk of being infected with HPV.
“Since claims that the MMR [vaccine] was linked to autism, which were later debunked, there’s been a growing sense of unease and distrust in the Muslim community with the government around vaccines,” she said. “I see this within my own community and the conversations that are being had and the conspiracy theories, which are worrying, especially with the HPV vaccine.”
Language barriers play a role. While the UK government website provides detailed information to quell concerns over the vaccine’s side effects, it is in English. To help combat this, last year the UKHSA created a leaflet in 33 languages and a series of educational films. The British Islamic Medical Association (Bima) recently published its own educational leaflets about HPV in English, Urdu and Bengali.
Amina, however, says her openness to the HPV vaccine wasn’t shared by other Muslim parents in her local community because they believe it gave licence to teenagers to have extra-marital sex.
“I had one mum saying she won’t let her child have the vaccine because it encourages zina [fornication] and another saying: ‘My daughter won’t have sex before marriage so she doesn’t need it,’” she said. “I am not being rude, but how does that mum know she won’t? We bring up our kids to be the best version of themselves, but they don’t always lead the life we want.”
Aziz added: “Even if your daughter only has only one sexual partner in their life, you don’t know how many sexual contacts that other person may have had and who may be carrying HPV and giving it to your daughter.”
If religious beliefs are among the factors surrounding HPV vaccine hesitancy, that too can be remedied. In a 2023 paper, Bima’s director of ethics, Usman Maravia, argued that neither the vaccine nor the healthcare professional administering it carry the burden of responsibility for whatever a person does after being immunised, meaning that the HPV vaccine in itself is not encouraging ithm (sin). Rather, Maravia argued, not taking preventative measures to protect yourself or your children against HPV and the cancers it can cause is a bigger sin.
It’s a view shared by maths tutor Ayesha Zahid, 25, from Bradford, who received her HPV vaccine in year 8, as did all the Muslim girls in her class. When she told her parents what the vaccine was for, they did not oppose it.
“Islam promotes the importance of safeguarding one’s health, and it is always preferable to prevent illness rather than to seek treatment afterwards,” she said.
“By learning about these vaccinations and being given the opportunity to access them, women can take charge of their health.”
*Amina’s name has been changed to protect her children’s privacy.
Topics
Get the Hyphen weekly
Subscribe to Hyphen’s weekly round-up for insightful reportage, commentary and the latest arts and lifestyle coverage, from across the UK and Europe
This form may not be visible due to adblockers, or JavaScript not being enabled.