RIZWAN WAHAB
Our hearts are weary, yet they continue to beat with hope for our island home. Once again, Sri Lanka has been struck by a devastating cyclone and floods swallowing our lands, families displaced, and fear gripping a nation already burdened by years of heartbreak. How much must we endure? How many times must our people rise from the ashes, only to be struck down again?
We remember the sorrows etched into our history:
The 1983 riots, tearing apart communities.
The 2004 tsunami, stealing over 30,000 precious lives.
The 2019 Easter attacks, shattering our peace and faith.
The 2022 economic collapse, pushing our people to the brink.
And now, this 2025 cyclone, bringing destruction to an island already wounded.
Yet through every tragedy, Sri Lankans have shown unwavering resilience. We are a small nation with a giant heart. people who stand up again and again, no matter how heavy the burden. But today, we cannot help but ask: How long, O God? How much more must we carry? How many trials must this island face before we can finally breathe in peace?
To our people who have lost homes, livelihoods, and loved ones
You are not forgotten.
Your tears are our tears.
Your pain is our pain.
We pray for strength, for healing, and for light in this darkness. May compassion rise in every corner of our land. May unity bind us stronger than the storms that try to break us. And may the world see our suffering and stand with us—because no nation should walk through endless calamities alone.
Sri Lanka, we will not give up.
Even in despair, we cling to hope.
Even in sorrow, we hold one another.
Even through disaster, we will rise because that is who we are.
May blessings, protection, and peace return to our island.
May our people find safety, comfort, and courage.
And may this prayer reach the heavens and touch every broken heart.
We pray for our people. We pray for Sri Lanka Our beloved Motherland.
(Rizwan Wahab,Chairman, World Forum for Srilankan Muslims, An expatriate organisation
Membership Worldwide.)
