“I was contemplating suicide when I listened to your program… now I’m having second thoughts… can you please help me?” That was one of our social media listeners reaching out to our team. He shared that he was having suicidal thoughts when he came across our program on depression and suicide. We communicated with him, befriended him, and encouraged him to speak with a professional. He made it through a tough time by the grace of God!
September is the Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month. Suicide is a grave issue (no pun intended) that is on the rise in the US and all over the world. A major study covering the last 25 years shows that suicide rate has skyrocketed across the Arab and Muslim world from Morocco to Pakistan. In just one year, over 30,000 people committed suicide, and more than 35,000 were murdered. These figures do not even include deaths in places ravaged by war, such as Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and represent increases of 100% and 152% respectively since 1990. Initial statistics for 2020-2021 indicate that the numbers were substantially increasing due to the impacts of COVID-19 and lock-down and social distancing circumstances. Loneliness and isolation are extremely harmful to people suffering from depression, especially young people.
In keeping with current events, we are airing our series “The Blue Whale” (in reference to the online challenge linked to a number of child suicides) during the month of September. The guest speaker is a well-known Christian psychiatrist and counselor. Throughout the 19 episodes, he talks about this phenomenon, including the reasons behind it, why it is increasing, how to detect it, how to help people with suicide tendencies, etc. We are also posting on our Facebook page about the topic and allowing people to interact, comment and even seek help.
It’s hard for us to imagine how a person would decide to take his or her own life. However, we’ve never been in that dark place with no hope in sight. Hope is what keeps us going in face of our problems and personal struggles. Jesus is the source of our hope in a hopeless world. That’s why we share the message of Good News with our listeners, that no matter what’s happening around us, we still can hold to the Lord’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Categories: ARABIC
