Grief practices differ from culture to culture and although grief is a common emotion experienced by humankind, the way people grieve differs radically cross-culturally. In every culture, grief is shaped by evolutionary development. All cultural societies encompass certain implied rules regarding grieving practices. Emotions relating to grief are then expected to be handled in ways similar to those outlined by the cultural societies.
The impact of culture on the way in which a person grieves is immense. Every culture has several customs regarding the appropriate expression of pain.
For example, a study of grief expression of women from Bali revealed that in Bali, women were not expected to cry in order to express their grief. The Egyptian society, on the other hand, would consider it an abnormality if their women did not express grief by crying.
The Muslim culture and community follow the Koran in their expression of grief. The Koran prohibits loud howls and gestures such as slapping cheeks etc when grief-stricken. It has been clearly stated in the Holy book of the Muslims, that it is alright to sob and shed silent tears, but the practice of loud cries is strictly prohibited in Muslim culture.
Another sect of the Muslim community, the Shia community, on the other hand, expresses grief in a very loud manner with loud howling and crying. The expression of grief is, therefore, more pronounced and vocal.
Annotated Bibliography
Ethnic variations in dying, death, and grief: Diversity in universality (1993).
This book is written by Irish, Donald P., Kathleen F. Lundquist, and Vivian Jenkins Nelsen, eds. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
The authors attempt a thorough investigation of the grief practices relating to cultural experiences involving death, and grief in a range of several ethnic communities of North American.
Death and bereavement across cultures. New York: Routledge, 1997.
This book is authored by Parkes, C. M., and ten other writers who investigate the diverse manners in which culturally diverse societies, envision death, grief, and mourning practices, a study that would enable health professionals to understand and handle their patients better.
Facing death: Where culture, religion, and medicine meet. Yale University Press, 1996. Web.
The authors of the book are Spiro H. M. M.G. McCrea Curnen, and Lee Palmer Wandel, eds.
This book has won two awards from the American Medical Writers Association and lists the several experiences of health care professionals in the treatment of their patients, with particular emphasis on the death issues and the diversity in cultural and religious practices relating to the handling of grief. The book provides some very valuable insights from anthropologists, preachers, theologians, and even literary scholars.