Unpacking the Influence of Islamic Religious Culture and Individual Religious Affiliation on Testing HIV-positive

The distribution of HIV cases varies cross-nationally. We separate the influences of Islam at the macro- and micro-levels to understand the role of religion in shaping the spread of HIV. Drawing on biomarker data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, we construct a multilevel database (Individual N = 568,476; Country N = 30). We examine a series of national- and individual-level predictors that may mediate the relationship between Islam and testing HIV-positive. Individual religious affiliation and proportion Muslim retained their risk-reducing effects even when accounting for a range of mediators and suppressors. Islam has a sui generis effect on testing HIV-positive.