Muslim experiences and Islamic perspectives on suicide: A qualitative analysis of fatwa inquiries

Suicide is a rising global public health challenge. Yet, the determinants and magnitude of the problem are understudied in both Muslim-majority countries and Muslim diaspora communities. The overall rarity of suicide events compounded by poor reporting complicates the study of suicide among Muslims. Results across studies are inconsistent and data remains limited due to a […]

Perceptions of suicide among Pakistanis: Results of an online survey

Objective In Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country, information on the patterning of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, as well as associated public perceptions and opinions, is limited. We sought to advance knowledge on suicide and self-harm in Pakistan with a large, online survey. Method Leveraging results from a twelve-item online survey (N = 5,157) circulated by the largest […]

Unveiling shadows: Analyzing suicide reporting in Muslim-majority countries vis-a-vis WHO’s media guidelines

Numerous studies have been conducted globally to assess the compliance level of newspapers with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) media guidelines for responsible suicide reporting. To identify and review such studies conducted in Muslim-majority countries between 2014 and 2022, we searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases. We identified 12 eligible studies from Pakistan (n=4), Bangladesh […]

Sociodemographic characteristics and patterns of suicide in Pakistan: An analysis of current trends

Suicide is a global phenomenon with about 79% of suicides occurring in low and middle-income countries. This study investigated current trends, demographics, and characteristics of completed suicides based on reports from leading Pakistani Newspapers. This study performed a qualitative analysis of completed suicides in Pakistan’s four newspapers from January 1st, 2019, through December 31st, 2020. […]

Suicide among young Middle Eastern Muslim females: The perspective of an Iranian epidemiologist

Background: Recent epidemiological studies highlight that within Muslim-dominated Middle Eastern countries suicide rates are high or are increasing among young females. This paper discusses the most important reasons behind this trend. Methods: The literature review started using the PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) search engine, applying four keywords: suicide, young females, Middle East, and Muslim. The search strategy […]

Suicide response in American Muslim communities: A community case study

This community case study describes the experiences of two neighboring Muslim communities in the United States, following respective incidents of suicide. Case summaries are first presented to contextualize the community response to the suicides. Subsequently, the discussion highlights relevant cultural and religious factors that impacted the responses of mosque leadership, mental health professionals, and the […]

Suicide response in American Muslim communities: A community case study

This community case study describes the experiences of two neighboring Muslim communities in the United States, following respective incidents of suicide. Case summaries are first presented to contextualize the community  response to the suicides. Subsequently, the discussion highlights relevant cultural and religious factors that impacted the responses of mosque leadership, mental health professionals, and the […]

Sociodemographic characteristics and patterns of suicide in Pakistan: An analysis of current trends

Suicide is a global phenomenon with about 79% of suicides occurring in low and middle-income countries. This study investigated current trends, demographics, and characteristics of completed suicides based on reports from leading Pakistani Newspapers. This study performed a qualitative analysis of completed suicides in Pakistan’s four newspapers from January 1st, 2019, through December 31st, 2020. […]

Psychological autopsy study and risk factors for suicide in Muslim countries

Background Suicide and risk factors have been poorly studied in the Muslim-majority countries that hinder the formulation of prevention strategies and affect suicide prevention eventually. Objectives We aimed at identifying and analyzing the psychological autopsy studies assessing the risk factors for suicide conducted in Muslim-majority countries. Methods We did a search to trace all the […]

Associations of religiosity, attitudes towards suicide and religious coping with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in 11 Muslim countries

Objective: The study investigated the associations of religiosity, religious coping and suicide acceptance to suicide ideation and attempts in 7427 young adults affiliating with Islam from 11 Muslim countries. Method: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. We used F and χ2 tests and correlation analyses to report descriptive statistics. Multi-group path models with (i) […]