Source: Twitter / Sarah Volstad
If you are traveling in the city of Montreal in Quebec and you are looking for a restaurant that is owned by kind-hearted people, look no farther than Marche Ferdous.
Located near Concordia University, this Muslim-owned eatery pledged to provide people without money to eat for free. A sign declaring the kind offer on the restaurant’s front door recently went viral on social media.
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“We do not ask any questions, we do not judge people,” the restaurant’s co-owner, Yahya Hashemi, told Global News.
The restaurant initiated the program to offer free food months ago and they plan to keep it going indefinitely.
“We don’t think about how much it will cost us,” Hashemi told CBC.
As a Muslim immigrant from Iran, Hashemi believes that he is obligated by his faith to help people who need it the most.
“We have to reflect our real image of Islam and Muslim people, immigrants who want to work hard and participate in this great country to contribute in its economy and social tissue,” Marche Ferdous co-owner Ala Amiry told CTV News. “It’s part of religion, this kind of tradition. You have to give to the people if you want the blessing from God.”
The owners of Marche Ferdous are part of a trend in the Muslim community among individuals and organizations that are using kindness and humility to shatter the harmful stereotypes and negative sentiment that has come from Islamophobia. Given the recent viral attention, it seems to be working.
