Richard Hollerman

We know that the rate of suicide (or self-murder) is high in the world, with perhaps 800,000 taking their life, what about Muslim countries? We know that Islam forbids the deliberate taking of one’s own life (of course, we must admit that this is true of many other religions in the world). However, this is an obvious way that Islam targets their constituency.

For example, Roman Catholicism is regularly regards self-murder as a “capital” sin or a “mortal” sin (meaning that one will be sent to hell if this is unforgiven). But we know that today things are different. While the “books” in Catholicism say one thing, we see that the present “pope” and others like him would say something different.

In our research on this subject, we have come across this article regarding Muslims and self-killing. This is what we read:

Suicide in Muslim world and way forward. . . .

Islam is the world’s second‐biggest religion, with a population of almost 1.9 billion people and a major presence in nearly 50 nations and territories. According to a survey published in 2020, 1.9 billion people follow Islam, accounting for around 24.9% of the global population.

Here we seek to add a few comments that should be prove helpful. We do know that right and wrong is not determined by any count like this. Regardless of the number of Islamic nations something is right or wrong depending on what God requires and not what man requires.

1 The majority of Muslim nations are in Asia (one‐third from South Asia) and Africa’s LAMIC region. Most of them are classified as low and middle‐income countries (LMICs). 2 Suicide is the world’s fourth‐biggest cause of mortality among those aged 15–29. In 2019, LMICs accounted for 77 percent of all suicide deaths, with adolescent suicide accounting for 88 percent of all suicide deaths globally.

3 Suicide rates are lower in Muslim nations, according to reports, since Islam forbids Muslims from taking their own life. However, these data should be interpreted with caution since there are still some unresolved concerns with suicide reporting, the criminal status of suicide, and the stigma associated with suicide. Furthermore, stigma, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and intention about the use of formal mental health services impact mental health of Muslims.

Whether the suicide rates would be higher or lower, depending on the location and ages, we know that it is a serious sin and will result in eternal condemnation.

4 While the lower rates of suicide can greatly be directly attributed to religion, indirect impacts of religion and other factors, less related to religion (such as social pressure, denser networks of family, peer, ethnic, and other social ties, smaller windows of opportunity for committing suicide in the multigenerational households), are also effective. The level of religiosity is also responsible for low suicide rates among Muslims. Nevertheless, a few Muslim countries (Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Kazakhstan, and Sierra Leone) have higher suicide rates than the global average.

We find this extremely interesting and worthy of note. Some Muslim nations do appear to have an even higher rate of suicide than others.

3 The disproportionately high levels of civil conflict, wars, or internal disputes within Muslim‐majority which at times see adaptation of suicide as a tactic of warfare can be a reason that can justify this finding.

Further:

Muslims are given a code of conduct, ethics, and social values by Islam, which aids them in tolerating and developing adaptive coping techniques in the face of stressful circumstances. Islam teaches how to live in peace with one another. Quran advises: “Pursue the life to come with what God has given you, but don’t forget your true place in this world. As God has been kind to you, do well to others. Do not try to spread corruption throughout the land, since God does not love people who do so” (Sural al‐Qisas, 28:77).

According to Islam, humans are entrusted with the gift of life, so they are not permitted to make decisions about their own life and death without the approval of God as they do not have absolute possession of this gift.

Of course, there is an element of truth here. We know that Islam is an evil religion, but it is true that God alone has the power of life and death, thus we must never presume to take our life (or the life of another).

Suicide is considered a cardinal sin in Islam. Muslims believe those who have committed suicide to be forbidden from entering Paradise. “And do not kill yourselves,” declares Quran (nor kill one another). “Allah is, without a doubt, most merciful to you” (Surah al‐Nisa, 4:29).

Despite the fact that suicide is prohibited and seen as a sin, suicide is viewed with more nuance by Islam as it is widely agreed that a person suffering from a mental condition who is unable to make decisions is not held responsible for his or her acts. Furthermore, most Muslims, including religious scholars, believe that faith and prayer alone will not prevent a Muslim from experiencing sadness, thoughts of self‐harm, or contemplating suicide.

We must “back off” these suggestions. These “scholars” are not God and have no right to make statements about life and death issues.

Although many factors influence suicide such as biological, social, or even environmental factors, depression is considered the main contributing psychiatric cause. 5 According to Carletona, 6 suicide rates rise when mental health is neglected, especially in situations of turmoil, war zones, and refugee camps. Mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder are more likely to rise among people who have been affected by conflict and displacement, limited access to water, shelter, and challenges such as unemployment and immigration. For instance, Sara Hegazy, an Egyptian LGBT activist who was seeking asylum in Canada, committed suicide.

(Of course, we know that an “activist” for sodomy is sinful and one who commits self-murder and suicide (both) is guilty of monumental sins and even though we may sorrow over this life, we can understand that this is an egregious sin!)

Instead of the torture and incarceration she was subjected to in her own nation of Egypt, her refuge situation may have led her to commit herself.

Or her act of suicide may have been an expression of her own evil intent, and a way of engaging in wicked behavior..

7 These factors have affected a huge population in Muslim countries, especially in the Middle East and Africa, which has led to higher rates of mental illnesses among these populations. 8, 9

Suicide advice and other similar topics can be found in Hadiths and the Quran. Primary, secondary, and tertiary preventative recommendations are the three kinds of instruction.

10 Primary preventive lessons include verses, hadiths, and narratives aimed at reducing and eliminating suicide risk factors. Secondary guidelines emphasize the importance of religious figures in identifying at‐risk individuals. 11 , 12 Teachings at the tertiary level encourage providing assistance to the friends and family of persons who commit suicide and exercising empathy and compassion towards them.

Mental health issues are stigmatizing in many Muslim communities,

And well they should be for this sin would be wrong from a Biblical standpoint as well as an Islamic standpoint.

and culturally and religiously appropriate resources are scarce or inaccessible. In some parts of the globe, Muslims face specific pressures in their everyday lives that harm their mental health, such as discrimination (especially a mix of Islamophobia and gender‐based discrimination),

What does this mean? What is Islamophobia? If it is a “fea”” of Muslims, this is one thing. As for “gender-based discrimination,” we must take care. If this has anything to do with feminism, we know that this is a wicked view that has no bearing on a Christian mindset.

which can lead to mental illness and suicide attempts. Low financial resources to systematize suicide prevention programs like that have been established in Iran. 13 Many countries are engaged in war or terrorisms threat like Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Ethiopia. In these conditions, providing basic needs to mental health programs takes precedence. The digital opportunities that have emerged by the advent of online environment should be seized to provide mental healthcare to these populations.

We know that this is much information but let’s try to work this out for our satisfaction. Hopefully, what we have provided in red in the above quotations should help.

As we come to the end of this short expose we want all to know that we hold no ill-will to Muslims or others who may hold their views. Yes, they are wrong, and yes, they will be sent to hell by a holy God, but we want to love them and all people.

So what about Islamic suicides? Most Muslim scholars will admit that suicide or self-murder is wrong and sinful. They will admit that this must be repented of and forsaken. We agree with this. In fact, this is one area in which we must agree that Islam holds a rightful view and this should be upheld. May God be glorified in this and in all rightful views!

Yet, if nearly two billion are adherents of this aberrant religious organization and if we find that hundreds of thousands of them do take their own lives, we wonder what is wrong. What can be right about a religion so wrong in this (and other) issues? We wonder.