Before we go any farther in this episode, I just want to give listeners a warning that we're going to be dealing with some sensitive and potentially triggering topics about mental health and suicide.

It is a very challenging topic, and if you don't feel comfortable listening in, that's totally fine.

But we just wanted to start what is a very difficult conversation.

Hey everyone, I'm Amadale Yuckper, and this is See Something Say Something.

So a couple weeks ago, BuzzFeed News reporter, Hannah Alam, published this very nuanced and thoughtful piece on the rise in suicide rates in American Muslim communities.

And I've been wanting to talk about this for a while, and Hannah's reporting, I think, is a good start to the conversation.

If you see something, you better, you better say something.

Nothing at all.

Nothing at all.

So over the past six months, there have been a lot of high-profile suicides like Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade.

It's a very traumatizing experience and Muslim communities are not always equipped to deal with it. And I really thought Hannah's

piece gave me some tools for how we as a community can start thinking about addressing all of the

trauma that affects people struggling with mental health, their families, and their communities.

Also, I just want to note that there's a lot of nuance in this conversation that just can't be covered in a half-hour podcast.

And there's a lot more information available in Hannah's piece.

So I highly recommend you read it.

So joining me today is Hannah Alam.

She is the BuzzFeed News reporter who published that piece. Hi, Hannah. Hi. And Mona Heather was also one of the people interviewed in Hannah's piece. She is a poet, rapper, chaplain, and activist, and she's in the studio with us today. Hey, Ahmed. What's up? Hey, Mona. How are you? Good, good. And you also, which we're going to talk about later, have released a new song, which deals with your personal experience of the suicide of one of your friends. So we'll talk about that a little bit later. Hannah, for people who haven't read your piece, can you tell us about, like, what are some of the mental health risk factors that are affecting Muslim communities today?

Yeah, it was kind of about two parts to the suicide conversation.

And the first part, of course, is prevention and awareness and what's left to do there.

What can be done better there?

And about this kind of really a movement of American Muslims who are trying to break the stigma around mental health seeking treatment and just awareness that a lot of other communities have also dealt with.

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