We at the Khalifah Institute wish to express our very deep sympathy to those of all nations who suffered from the horrible consequences of the recent earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean. We have personally been touched by the pain brought by this unprecedented tragedy. Some of our staff are from the province of Aceh in Indonesia and have lost relatives. One of our staff members has lost 48 close relatives to the cruel waves of the tsunami, and after rushing to Aceh to look for her parents still has not been able to find them (Alhamdulillah, we just heard today she found her parents alive). We do not think we can even comprehend the extent of her grief. To the degree it is possible we share her sorrow and we wish our dear sister, and all others who have so tragically lost loved ones, the fullness of Allah's Blessings.

We ask all the world's people to continue to donate generously to help the survivors of this most tragic event so that they can get back some semblance of normality into their lives, and ensure them a most needed, meaningful future. Please remember that to overcome the sadness, and resolve the difficulties both social and material, of this terrible event will take years - so we must not after only a few months forget those who will continue to suffer so dreadfully for many years to come.

This is a time when the whole human race has an opportunity to unite together in our heartfelt sorrow and show the necessary, wonderful qualities of caring and love, which have so often been lacking in the world, for our dear brothers and sisters who must endure the almost unbearable emotional trauma of their losses. Please let us all rise to the occasion and allow this moment to be the beginning of a new era when we move together toward a future world good and right in every way.