It is not far from the White House… Sakina Halal Grill is just like other top restaurants in the area… however, there is a difference between Sakina and other restaurants!
Apart from serving costly delicious dishes, this restaurant provides free food to those who are in need! Kazi Mannan, the owner of the restaurant, has claimed that Sakina fed more than 80,000 hungry people in the last five years! The Pakistan-born entrepreneur said that he wanted to serve more in the coming years, adding: “If you can’t afford a meal, come in and have a free meal. Enjoy the same atmosphere that everybody, who is paying, is enjoying.”

Kazi Mannan, the owner

Mannan recently said that he had arrived in the US with just USD 5 in his pocket 23 years ago! Before his arrival, he had to spend his childhood days in Pakistan in acute poverty and hunger. Mannan knows how difficult it is to live without food. So, he tried to ensure that every hungry person gets a filling meal of authentic Indian and Pakistani food for free, after opening the restaurant. Initially, Mannan targeted to feed more than 16,000 needy people each year… and, he is still trying hard to achieve the target!

Mannan with a customer

The restaurant owner has told the media: “People have a fear that a lot of homeless people have mental issues, health issues…they are dirty, not clean, and if you let them come in, they will ruin your business. I tell them to look at my life and look at my restaurant – does this look dirty to you?”

Mannan preparing food

Meanwhile, Marchellor Lesueur – a local homeless person – has said that he considers Mannan as a Saint. “I think that he’s a saint. He’s a beautiful man. My stomach was growling, I was looking for a blessing, then he popped up, gave me a card and invited me to a restaurant for lunch. And I was so overwhelmed and happy I couldn’t wait to get here,” he stressed.

Mannan with Ms Clinton

Let us hope that the US (read President Donald Trump) will allow the Pakistani Saint to serve the hungry American people!!!

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das