The author is having halal pizza at a restaurant in Bonn, Germany.

Any Muslim who has traveled around the world knows that it’s difficult to get Halal meat in many countries. On international trips you either become a vegetarian or can enjoy sea food if it’s available. In my recent travels to Yangoon, Beijing and Tokyo I enjoyed delicious vegetarian and sea food meals but by the end of my trip I was longing for chicken tikka, mutton karahi and beef kababs. 

Variety of food is sold at the halal restaurants in Bonn, Germany.

These days I am in Bonn, Germany on a training program at DW. The experience of being in Bonn has turned out to be a fabulous one, especially because I don’t long for the delicious Pakistani food anymore.  The city centre is a bustling market place with fancy shops, eateries, book stores, cafes even a small farmers’ market. The unique thing about this place is the presence of large number of halal restaurants.One can enjoy different types of burgers, delicious pizzas, Turkish doener kababs,  Egyptian, Pakistani and Indian food, all made from halal meat. This definitely shows the diverse culture of this wonderful place and respect for people’s choices.

Nizommetin and his family owns,”Miran Kabab”, a Turkish restaurant in Bonn, Germany.

One of my most favorite places has turned to be Miran Kabab, a Turkish restaurant. Nizommetin and his family own this small restaurant. Nizommetin says that his customers are not only Muslims but people from different countries and faiths enjoy his food.
One of the German customers I met said that he loves doener kababs and sometimes he also tries the Egyptian falafel. He says he is proud that Germans in Bonn are tolerant of other religions and that one should not only have food shops for Muslims but for people from other faiths too.

Mehwa, a German of Turkish origin, was born and raised in Bonn. Muslim by faith, she says, during her childhood it was difficult to get halal meat and she couldn’t enjoy eating out with her family. But now, since the last four to five years she often eats out with her family and friends.

Author: Beenish Javed

Editor: Manasi Gopalakrishnan

Beenish Javed is a reporter working for ARY News, Islamabad. She has been awarded a two-month long fellowship by the Friedrich Ebert foundation (FES) in Germany and is currently in DW, Bonn. You can follow Beenish on Twitter @Beenishjaved.