India: Muslim Neighborhood Transforms from Protest Site to Thriving Food Hub

What was once the site of a prominent protest has now blossomed into a vibrant food destination in India’s capital, VOA reported in an article yesterday.

Shaheen Bagh, a Muslim-majority neighborhood in New Delhi, has undergone a remarkable transformation in the four years since massive demonstrations took place there.

In the winter of 2019-2020, thousands of women staged a sit-in on a highway to protest a citizenship law that many Muslims felt discriminated against them. But the area has since evolved, with the protest site giving way to a bustling food street that now draws hundreds of visitors.

“When you sit in the protest for long, you feel exhausted, and out of exhaustion you come to a tea stall to sip a cup of tea. You don’t just sip tea, you sip ideas,” explained Aasif Mujtaba, one of the protest organizers.

The influx of outsiders during the demonstrations helped introduce the area’s culinary delights to a wider audience. As the food’s reputation spread, more renowned eateries opened up shop, offering a range of cuisines from Mughlai to Afghan and Turkish.

For locals, the food street represents more than just business – it helps break down misconceptions about the Muslim community. “Even today because of these food joints, a large number of people from outside Delhi, especially non-Muslims, come to Shaheen Bagh and with most of them it becomes their first experience of interacting with Muslims,” Mujtaba said.

“The taboo of a bad Muslim, the taboo where Muslims are portrayed as terrorists, or the ghetto is portrayed as some unwelcoming space, this taboo is being removed by what? Food,” he added.