Dr. Rania Awaad was attending a virtual religion program this Ramadan when discussion turned to an unexpected question: Is it religiously acceptable to say a prayer for someone who died by suicide?<\/p>\n
Suicide is a complex and delicate topic that Awaad, as director of the Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab at Stanford University, knows much about \u2014 but one she says isn\u2019t discussed nearly enough in U.S. Muslim communities. When it is, she said, it\u2019s often poorly understood and shrouded in misconceptions.<\/p>\n
Awaad and other mental health professionals are trying to change that, working alongside some faith leaders and activists to bring nuance and compassion to such conversations, raise awareness in Muslim communities about suicide prevention and mental health and provide religiously and culturally sensitive guidance.<\/p>\n
The effort took on new urgency in the aftermath of an apparent murder-suicide that left six family members dead in Allen, Texas, in April, sending shock waves through Muslim communities in the area and beyond. Investigators believe two brothers made a pact to kill their parents, sister and grandmother before taking their own lives.<\/p>\n
The incident sparked a flurry of activity in Muslim spaces, from public discussions on mental health and trainings on suicide response to healing circles and private conversations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe initial reaction of the community was total shock,\u201d said Imam Abdul Rahman Bashir of the Islamic Association of Allen, where the family\u2019s funeral was held. \u201cTheir reaction went from shock, grief to then concern about other families around them: Are they saying something that they can\u2019t hear? Is something out there that they can\u2019t see?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely opened up the conversation for understanding what mental health is and the importance of mental well-being,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Suicide is theologically proscribed under Islam, and Awaad while acknowledging that, takes a nuanced view on the issue, arguing that it\u2019s not up to people to judge. Contrary to what she\u2019s heard some say about people who took their own lives, she believes the deceased may receive prayers regardless of how they died.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know the state of a person when they reach this point in their life, and we don\u2019t know their mental state in that moment,\u201d she said. \u201d… Only God can judge on this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The importance of seeking professional help for mental health struggles, without worrying about what people may say, is a message the Texas Muslim Women\u2019s Foundation sought to drive home in a recent video. Aimed at the South Asian American community, it featured actors, young activists and others sharing their experiences to help break the stigma.<\/p>\n
Some community leaders in Texas addressed suicide and mental health issues after a Muslim American woman took her own life in 2018, according to Saadia Ahmed, director of the foundation\u2019s youth leadership program. Following the Allen tragedy, she\u2019s heard from lots of people who have reached out to share their personal battles or ask how to get help for loved ones.<\/p>\n
One young man opened up about having previously had suicidal thoughts and about how getting help made things better. There was a high school student who needed therapy, but her parents weren\u2019t getting her any; with the aid of a school counselor, she ended up getting help. Ahmed also heard from parents worried about their kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like at least I see progress,\u201d Ahmed said.<\/p>\n
Sameera Ahmed \u2014 no relation \u2014 a psychologist and executive director of The Family & Youth Institute, a not-for-profit research and education institute, said that when her group was developing suicide prevention resources for Muslim communities a few years ago, some questioned the need.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople wouldn\u2019t share what was happening because they were afraid of the stigma,\u201d Ahmed said. \u201cThey were afraid people wouldn\u2019t come to their loved one\u2019s janazah,\u201d or funeral.<\/p>\n
But today she sees more openness to conversation and says some well-known imams have begun addressing the issue from more compassionate perspectives. Still, much work remains, she added.<\/p>\n
Following the Allen tragedy, Awaad gave virtual trainings on suicide response from her base in California to help people navigate the aftermath, including to religious and community leaders. Her lab at Stanford provided guidelines for Islamic sermons. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe crisis response is the hardest part,\u201d she said. Many imams and religious leaders grapple with \u201cstriking a balance between healing the community and Islam\u2019s stance on the impressibility of suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also co-authored a piece detailing do\u2019s and don\u2019ts after a suicide, like providing resources and support to those who may be struggling, while refraining from speculation on spiritual implications such as whether someone who took their life will go to paradise.<\/p>\n
By the end of 2022, Awaad hopes 500 Muslim religious leaders will have received training on suicide using material developed by a nonprofit, Maristan, in collaboration with her lab at Stanford that\u2019s grounded in both science and the teachings of Islam.<\/p>\n
Several religious leaders have thrown their weight behind the effort.<\/p>\n
One of them, Imam Bashir, of the Islamic Association of Allen, said that while Islam doesn\u2019t allow suicide as a way to solve problems, the faith \u201cencourages the community to be one body with ears, eyes and arms to help each other not get to a point where that would be a consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wrestling with difficult questions around suicide isn\u2019t unique to Muslims. Mathew Schmalz, a professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, said a belief common to theistic traditions is that one\u2019s life belongs to God, so taking it \u201cfundamentally violates\u201d God\u2019s most precious gift.<\/p>\n
Yet attitudes have been evolving with a greater appreciation of the complexities of mental illness, he added, and it\u2019s important to challenge beliefs that suicide signals moral weakness or a failure to be grateful of God.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile an understanding of God as merciful is important,\u201d Schmalz said, \u201cequally important is being part of a faith community in which mental health issues are taken seriously and not stigmatized.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: Voice of America<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr. Rania Awaad was attending a virtual religion program this Ramadan when discussion turned to an unexpected question: Is it religiously acceptable to say a prayer for someone who died by suicide?Suicide is a complex and delicate topic that Awaad, as …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n