Death and religion: an ethnological perspective on the view held about death in Christianism and Islam in El Salvador

Abstract

As social beings, humans form groups based on shared characteristics. In this sense, the worldview about death that both Catholic Christianism and Islam have, have been compared in this study. At the same time, this research intended to identify the rituals around death that these two religions practice. This comparative study was conducted in the downtown area of San Salvador, between August and November of 2019. With the purpose of getting a deeper understanding of this context, a qualitative research methodology was applied; the instrument used was the interview. The main results showed that death is seen as a transition, that rituals have different meanings for these two religions, and that the basis for their understanding of death are the same. Also, the rituals are practiced around a religious foundation and they vary depending on their sociocultural context.