For Muslim women, smear tests go beyond five minutes of embarrassment.
Let’s face it, smear tests are about as fun as going to the dentist and when that inevitable letter from your GP reminding you that your next appointment is due arrives, it is easy to feel cringed out. However, for Muslim women, it goes beyond five minutes of embarrassment.
It’s something Dr Zohra Ali, an oncologist who carries out leading cancer screening work for the British Islamic Medical Association, can attest to. She explains: “There remains a huge amount of stigma associated with cervical cancer screening in Muslim women of all ages, but particularly younger women.
“It’s the fear of the unknown. I don’t know what to expect with the procedure, like how they do it and whether it’s a quick process or not. I have a low pain threshold, so pain is also another factor,” said Nylah, who works as a social media journalist. “I had guys calling me a prostitute and asking me really intrusive questions about my sex life. There were guys calling it the slut test. My boyfriend was getting really angry that he couldn’t protect me and his family and friends also gave him a hard time.
“There are many barriers to cervical screening, such as past experience or trauma, or being unsure about what the test is for. There are cultural barriers too and the first step is understanding what the needs are in communities where uptake is lower and ensuring that everything is being done to make it easier for women to attend,” said Samantha Dixon, CEO of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.
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