For the first time, Detroit-area Arab leaders have pledged a united campaign for broader HIV/AIDS testing and education programs in the community -- a sensitive topic among some Arabs.

The pledges came at a landmark meeting in Dearborn . It was coordinated by top federal, state and local AIDS leaders, including officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Leadership Campaign on AIDS; the White House Office on National AIDS Policy; the Michigan Department of Community Health; the Wayne County Department of Public Health, and Islamic Relief, a nonprofit organization based in Burbank , Calif.

NAAMA Michigan was invited to participate in this forum as an Arab American healthcare organization to provide the medical point of view of the disease as well as means of prevention and awareness in the Community.

Prominent clergy and imams -- including Imam Hassan Qazwini of Dearborn's Islamic Center of America, the Rev. Rani Abdulmasih of Dearborn's Abundant Life Arabic Church and Imam Mohammad Mardini of west Dearborn's American Muslim Center -- promised to raise the topic in mosques and to offer counseling and prevention programs.

Federal and local health groups announced stepped up testing efforts, some tied to National HIV Testing Day June 27. A broad media campaign also is planned. 

Miguel Gomez, who helps direct HIV/AIDS programs for the federal government, called the meeting a first and described the effort as a model for reaching the Arab community nationwide. "We hope, with national partners, to carry this as a model" to other regions, Gomez said.

The forum was the result of more than 18 months of private discussions sought by Dr. Adnan Hammad, NAAMA Michigan past president and health director of the ACCESS Health and Research Center , and local Arab leaders.