A first of its kind restaurant opened this week in Beltsville, Maryland, and the founders say it is the first “community based” halal restaurant in the region.

“Simply Halal” is the latest business project of the Dar-us-Salaam community in College Park, Maryland and is part of its vision to establish a financial and economic base for the Muslim community.

“The restaurant was started to support Al-Huda School, and the dawa [message of Islam] in general, and this we feel will help all the Muslims in the area,” said Brother Yasser Nada who heads the restaurant project.

Simply Halal – a name chosen after soliciting feedback from over one thousand community members on Dar-us-Salaam’s email list – is located in a Beltsville shopping center where there is also a Giant grocery store, a CVS pharmacy, and a Baskin Robins ice cream shop. The restaurant held a pre-opening celebration on the evening of Sunday, June 1, and invited share holders and Muslim leaders from neighboring masajid including the Islamic Society of the Washington Area (ISWA) and the Muslim Community Center (MCC).

Though a non-profit entity, Dar-us-Salaam holds a majority share in for-profit Salsabeel LLC, a company started by the community and operating according to Islamic principles that also has several investors from the Muslim community. Dar-us-Salaam also has a medical clinic – the Dar-us-Salaam Family Medical Practice – as one of its community-based businesses. Several other business ventures are in the planning stages.

Dr. Fazil Alie, the president of ISWA, and ISWA Imam Faizul Khan and their wives attended the pre-opening party. ISWA is less than 10 minutes from the restaurant.

“We were very happy to come. It was a good atmosphere and great hospitality. The service and family feeling was great,” said Dr. Alie. “We intend to do all we can to promote this kind of business venture in the Muslim community. The concept to open these businesses is really something all the centers should discuss and promote in the Muslim society. We have to find ways and means to all become self-sufficient….and this is a great start. I hope and pray that we all will continue to support well thought-out and well-designed Muslim businesses,” added Dr. Alie.

Dar Al-Taqwa board member Ayman Nassar came with his family and said he enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere. He also believes masjid-connected businesses like Simply Halal will serve multiple needs for the Muslim community.

“Projects such as these are just the beginning. Our community has many needs and a simple project like this could address some of theses needs. A few that come to mind are opportunities for employment, financial support to Masjids, halal food, and places to socialize. Most importantly it is a window on Islam and provides the opportunity to share the message of Islam,” commented Brother Ayman.

Simply Halal offers a mix of Arab, Indo-Pakistani, and American cuisine including chicken, lamb,and goat dishes, and a variety of sandwiches and salads. The menu was also developed after extensive feedback from community members.

“Our team is really excited and they want to perform well,” said Brother Yasser. Several of the signature menu items are named after the employees.