ABD-ELHAMEED: Khyber Coffee & Tea House creates essential safe space for Muslim community
New Brunswick has no shortage of cafes and coffee shops from which students and residents can choose.
As I write this in Alexander Library on the College Avenue campus, there are more than a dozen different places that I can choose from. While there are plenty of options in the area, one specific place has become increasingly popular: Khyber Coffee & Tea House.
Regular consumers of Khyber's goods know that Khyber is not just another coffee shop. From the kind employees to its unique, South Asian-inspired menu to the overall inviting atmosphere, Khyber has been able to create a new safe space for the South Asian and Muslim communities in New Brunswick and at Rutgers.
It is a space that has been desperately needed.
Established in the summer of 2023, Khyber offers a flavorful menu that includes a blend of classic coffee shop items and traditional Afghani and Pakistani sweets and flavors.
The Ras Malai Tres Leches, saffron smoothie and chai are a reflection of the coffee shop's name. Khyber refers to the Khyber Pass, which is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that connects Pakistan to Afghanistan and is representative of "exchange in trade, culture, faith and ideas" over centuries.
The region is also known as the "Land of Hospitality," which is very fitting for the establishment and what it represents.
In an interview with Walid Tahir, the store's managing partner, he emphasized that he and his partners "wanted to create a space that spoke to our culture," as they identify as South Asian and first-generation American.
The quaint coffee and tea shop includes some items from their families' homes in Pakistan and family photos on the wall to honor their heritage in meaningful ways.
What is appealing about Khyber is that it closes later than most coffee shops and still extends its hours during the month of Ramadan to cater to the Muslim community.
During the month of Ramadan, which has come to an end, the cafe opened from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. from Monday to Thursday, while on Fridays and Saturdays, it opened at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., respectively, and closed at 3 a.m. The cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Sundays.
They even added a "suhoor special" for the month, consisting of handmade paratha, eggs and yogurt served with honey and dates.
Ramadan decor and festive string lights have also been set up all around the cafe to complete that cozy and familial ambiance that many of us feel when we walk in.
It brings a kind of nostalgic and peaceful feeling to see Ramadan decorations in a cafe in a city that is not predominantly Muslim because when I return back home, I am greeted by the same Ramadan decorations that my family and I have placed around the house.
These changes made Khyber the perfect communal space for Muslims after Taraweeh prayers — the night prayer performed during Ramadan — to socialize with friends over a hearty meal before the next day of fasting.
This is one of the reasons people have gladly flocked toward Khyber more frequently amid the now six-month-long boycott against Starbucks, which would never provide the kind of hospitality that I and others have longed to experience.
Tahir and the other co-founding partners are all Rutgers alumni, and he revealed that part of the motivation behind opening Khyber was to create a space that was "open late at night where friends could gather and spend time together," which they had always felt "was a gap in our community" that they wanted to bring to life.
It is especially important now more than ever to have these kinds of spaces that specific communities can frequent and feel welcome in, especially when Rutgers has not been the most welcoming place in recent months specifically for Muslims, Arabs and Middle Easterners, but also people of color in general.
We, as Arab, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Muslim students, have come to rely on ourselves to create safe spaces.
This was utterly prevalent when the administration washed away several chalk artworks made by Palestinian students and pro-Palestinian students and protestors.
Other examples include when our University's administration and the Center for Latino Arts and Culture (CLAC) removed Program Coordinator Silismar Suriel from running the CLAC Instagram account after publishing a pro-Palestinian article, or when the University suspended Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers—New Brunswick.
Recently there was also a billboard truck that circled the College Avenue campus and displayed racist and intentionally misleading information to garner a "no" vote for the divestment referendum.
When the University had done absolutely nothing to address or even inquire about an investigation into the vandalism at Brower Commons on the College Avenue campus against pro-Palestinian protesters prior to the first protest since the events of October 7, 2023.
And the overall fact that Rutgers invests in Motorola and Boeing. A company that is affiliated with the surveillance of Palestinians and partially profits from Boeing missiles that are launched at Palestinians due to its endowment is representative of the complete disregard to welcome and protect a variety of demographics on campus.
Many of those who believe in justice for Palestinians include students from interconnected ethnic and religious groups, such as Palestinians, Arabs, Middle Easterners, Muslims and South Asians, among others.
Through a variety of cultural events and meetings over the months, the Muslim community has been interconnected, seeking safety and community among our affiliated cultural and religious student organizations.
Khyber has been an emblem of what it means to be inclusive and cater to diverse groups of people "where that interconnectedness can be further strengthened through conversation and chai."
Tahir's vision, along with his friends who helped establish Khyber, has undoubtedly been brought to life.
"At the end of the day, all most of us really want is to create good memories with our loved ones and enjoy a great cup of chai," Tahir said.
Naaima Abd-Elhameed is a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in journalism and media studies and minoring in Arabic and international and global studies. Her column, "Something to Think About," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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