Department of Creed Organizes an Awareness Seminar on Suicide

A group of faculty members from the Department of Creed and Islamic Thought at the College of Islamic Sciences, University of Samarra, presented an awareness-oriented scientific seminar entitled “Suicide Between Despair and Hope.”

The seminar explained that suicide is among the most dangerous contemporary human phenomena due to its complex psychological, social, and religious dimensions. It represents a tragic expression of an internal struggle experienced by individuals when they are torn between the two poles of despair and hope.

The importance of the seminar lies in examining this phenomenon from multiple perspectives. The discussion was structured around several themes, including the conceptual framework of despair and suicide, the causes and motives behind suicidal behavior, and the role of hope as a gateway for prevention and treatment.

The seminar aimed to introduce preventive mechanisms, such as spreading psychological awareness, strengthening religious discourse that promotes hope, establishing psychological counseling centers, and monitoring groups that are most vulnerable to risk.

The seminar concluded that suicide is not an isolated or sudden event, but rather the result of a gradual accumulation of despair. Hope—religiously, psychologically, and socially—represents the first line of defense against it. Where hope is cultivated, life is preserved. Hope was described as a fundamental pillar that motivates individuals toward progress and aspiration for a better future. It is not merely a passing emotion, but a powerful driving force that embodies essential meanings and serves as a way of life guiding ambitions and shaping a path for positive and purposeful living.