Today I attended a Muslim funeral of a five-year-old boy. His mother, another female staff member and myself were not allowed to go up to the gravesite because we were women. In fact, she was technically not allowed there at all. Seeing 15 grown men carry the casket of a 5yr old was heart-renching. It was so small. The mother, who I’ve had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with recently, was very accepting. She only really cried when she saw me arrive. We hugged and she cried. I was glad that we attended since we were really her only support system. The family has been in the States only a month. I felt as though we betrayed them. This mother had been able to keep her son with cerebral palsy alive in a Kenyan refugee camp for five years only to have him die in an American hospital under the best medical care. The whole experience was surreal. Interesting to attend a Muslim funeral, heartbreaking that it was a 5 yr old and draining as I knew the client. I still feel drained and it wasn’t even my loss. At the end of the service a man came over to the three of us, with one of my bosses to translate. He thanked us for coming and showing our love and support to the family. He talked of how we were all from Adam and Eve, that whether we were Muslim or Non-Muslim we were all made equally by the creator of heaven and earth. He talked of how we all needed to love and learn about each other. In a time when the world is quick to point the finger at Muslim extremists and more and more Muslims in general, he offered a sense of hope and understanding. A refreshing change. We were all made equal, we are all equal. The God who created the heavens and the earth created us all.