Religion and Public Health: Intersecting Beliefs and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care Practices in Kashmir

This qualitative study investigates how local Islamic belief systems shape the lived experiences of stigma, disclosure, and treatment seeking among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) in Kashmir. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 15 PLHIV and four Muslim religious scholars at a major antiretroviral therapy center, and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the study reveals that religious values deeply inform individuals' emotional struggles and choices around care. The findings call for culturally grounded, faith-sensitive public health strategies that not only address medical needs but also engage with the moral and spiritual realities of those living with human immunodeficiency virus in conservative contexts.