'I want people to feel better' '“ says muslim who sets up kind initiative

A man from Horley will be offering free drinks and snacks to the community in Crawley tomorrow (May 27) and said he '˜hopes to make people feel better' in the wake of the attack in Manchester.
Sajid Khan (left) alongside two of his students, Ateef and Shabick  and volunteer YousefSajid Khan (left) alongside two of his students, Ateef and Shabick  and volunteer Yousef
Sajid Khan (left) alongside two of his students, Ateef and Shabick and volunteer Yousef

Sajid Khan, 27, a commercial services manager at BP in Heathrow and a special constable for Met Police in Westminster, plans to make it a weekly initative and is calling for the people of Crawley’s support.

He said: “I went to a talk at a mosque in Lewisham and they had a stall outside with free tea and coffee – they said they had done it for ages. I started thinking about it and thought why can’t we do this in Crawley.

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“It is a lovely initiative and it is giving to the poor and people need it. I also want others to take on the initative – and hope for it to have a knock on effect.

“As a muslim and in a time like this, it is massively important we come across nice. People have been asking me to explain why the attack in Manchester happened.

“I want to make people feel better in the wake of what happened. I want them to see us as a friendly community and to see that we are normal and giving. This would be a nice thing to happen.”

Sajid lives with his wife, Nureen, and the couple are expecting their first child.

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Sajid, who is muslim, also volunteers every Sunday at the SLWMAC Mosque in Langley Green to teach youngsters.

He said him and his family have always had the ‘charity spirit’ embedded in them.

“My Uncle runs an orphanage in Pakistan with 112 children, my grandad set it up and passed it on. We also do clothes and toy collections to send off to Syria,” he added.

“When I got married I didn’t want to have a big wedding and spend loads of money. I would rather spend money on people who need it.

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“I want to feed the homeless and low-income families who may struggle to go food shopping. I am also keen to meet refugees in Crawley and the community in general.

“I am also trying to reach out to some of the open houses and shelters. I want it to be sustainable for the time being and then perhaps have an on-going rota. Every night would be the dream. I want people to look at this and see a difference made.”

Sajid, along with volunteers and some of his students, will be outside the SLWMAC Mosque in Martyr’s Avenue from 8pm to 9pm.

He will also be there on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s at the same time, as a trial basis.

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“There will be about three of us at the stall – I don’t want to make it too intimidating for people, I want it to be welcoming,” Sajid added.

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