Islamists are propagating that Muslims are the most satisfied people, and they are using the following study:
- “Oneness Beliefs and Their Effect on Life Satisfaction,” by Laura Marie Edinger-Schons
Our Response:
This study is not the correct indicator of what Islamists are claiming, due to the following reasons:
Firstly: This is only a SINGULAR study, which is only limited to Germany. The author of this study herself mentioned that:
As all the participants were from Germany, she noted that it is unclear if this effect would translate to residents of other countries and suggested more research would need to be done.
This study had limited numbers of Muslims, and the bulk were Atheists, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus etc.
Secondly: This study is not about "Religious Beliefs", but about Feeling of attachment to "Oneness". The author found that this sense of interconnectedness is a significant predictor of life satisfaction, even more so than religious beliefs themselves. Oneness refers to a profound sense of unity and interconnectedness with nature, or the universe as a whole. The author herself made it clear here:
“I recognized that in various philosophical and religious texts, a central idea is the idea of oneness,” said Edinger-Schons. “In my free time, I enjoy surfing, Capoeira, meditation and yoga, and all of these have been said to lead to experiences that can be described as being at one with life or nature or just experiencing a state of flow through being immersed in the activity. I was wondering whether the larger belief in oneness is something that is independent of religious beliefs and how it affects satisfaction with life ... While oneness scores did vary by religion (Muslims had the highest median score while atheists had the lowest), they were much better predictors of life satisfaction than religious beliefs.”
The World Happiness Report Proves otherwise (i.e. Muslims are not the happiest ones)
As compared to a SINGULAR study above, we have a World Happiness Report. It was directly conducted in almost all countries of the world, and it shows totally different results.
The World Happiness Report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR’s Editorial Board. It shows that:
- Muslim countries are nowhere present in the top ranking countries when it comes to happiness index. There is not even a single Muslim country in the list of the first top 20 countries.
- These results have been constant during these the last several years.
You can read the Reports from 2012 to 2024 here:
Islamists' Objection: If people in the West are happy, why is then Suicide Rate high there?
Islamists claim since suicide rates are high in Western countries, this proves that these nations cannot rank high on the happiness index.
However, unlike Islamic countries, a significant portion of the population in Western societies does not believe in God, nor do they fear divine punishment in the afterlife for taking their own lives. In fact, death is not necessarily seen as something terrifying; for many, it can even be considered a blessing. People in these societies tend to live their lives to the fullest and, when faced with old age, terminal illness, or a loss of quality of life, they support the idea of euthanasia—the right to die with medical assistance. Those unfamiliar with this concept can read more about it here:
In essence, many in the West believe that after having lived a fulfilling life, individuals should have the right to choose a dignified and painless death rather than being forced to endure prolonged suffering. In contrast, religious societies—particularly Islamic ones—instill the belief that suicide is always forbidden, as one should never lose hope in God's mercy, and miraculous healing is always a possibility. This mindset often results in terminally ill individuals being kept alive in excruciating pain, in the hope that divine intervention might cure them.
Ideally, societies should prioritize human well-being by allowing individuals the choice of a peaceful, pain-free death rather than forcing them to endure prolonged suffering. Moreover, freeing people from the fear of death, the grave, and eternal punishment could contribute to a more compassionate and humane approach to end-of-life decisions.
We request the readers to please read out detailed article on suicide here:
Hassan Radwan