Bangladeshi-American Finds Hope in Ashes of Minneapolis Restaurant
2020-08-15
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1Ruhel Islam is walking among the ruins of his Gandhi Mahal Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2The place was burned down during riots in the city following the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in May during an arrest by Minneapolis police.
3The arrest was captured on a video, that quickly spread around the internet.
4The incident led to an international movement against abuse by police.
5Islam expressed his support for the movement even as his restaurant burned.
6His daughter quoted him in a now famous message she posted to Facebook, saying, "Let my building burn, Justice needs to be served, put those officers in jail."
7Islam is a native of Bangladesh.
8He moved to the United States in 1996.
9In 2005, he opened Gandhi Mahal.
10The restaurant stood about four kilometers from the site of Floyd's arrest.
11"This is a very deep problem we need to solve. It's not their fault," he said of the protesters.
12"It's the system's fault. Our policymakers did not resolve the issues and that's why this happened."
13He said his pain and loss was little in comparison to what Floyd's family had suffered.
14Islam added that the South Asian community needs to show it is united with African Americans because both groups are minorities and people of color.
15"It's very important to stand with them shoulder to shoulder and fight for what's right for everyone for a better world," he said.
16People across Minneapolis and from other parts of the country have been raising money to help pay for Islam's losses.
17Among those seeking to help is Rachael Joseph, director of Survivors Lead.
18The group was formed by gun violence survivors and fights for stronger gun laws.
19She started a group to raise money on Facebook for Gandhi Mahal. It has received more than $64,000.
20She wrote in an e-mail to VOA that the restaurant was important to the gun control group.
21She said, "Ruhel and his family showed the same kindness to all who entered those doors."
22She also said the Islam family has been "fighting white supremacy alongside the community."
23Islam is opening another food service business in the same neighborhood until the Gandhi Mahal can be rebuilt.
24The new restaurant will be called Curry in a Hurry.
25It will provide food for take away and is expected to be ready by September.
26Islam is also working with several community organizations to re-create Gandhi Mahal as part of a multicultural community center.
27One of the groups is Pangea World Theater.
28Its goal is to support human rights through artistic performance that deals with discrimination.
29Its founder, Dipankar Mukherjee and Islam are close friends.
30Mukherjee said the Gandhi Mahal provided space for many of the theater's social and musical events. He misses the restaurant.
31"It's heartbreaking to even sit here," he said while looking at the remains of the Gandhi Mahal.
32Mukherjee hopes that the new building will be big enough to hold Pangea's theatrical shows, including more projects centered on Black lives.
33Mukherjee described Islam as "a brother from back home who's committed to food justice, environmental justice."
34Islam has many big ideas for the new building.
35He pictures it as a place for peace, although the project is still being planned.
36He imagines it as a center where activists and community organizers can gather to discuss issues such as food security, climate change and social justice.
37"I want to lead by example," Islam said.
38"I want to do something more. It's not about making money, but bringing people together.
39He aims to create an area in front of the restaurant that will include a Black Lives Matter memorial.
40He also dreams of an environmentally friendly space, powered by the sun.
41Islam believes that rebuilding the restaurant as a community center will help renew the area which many businesses have left because of the riots.
42"We want to bring the energy back. We want to bring the businesses back," he said.
43Islam estimates the project will cost almost $10 million and take three to five years to complete.
44"We'll be rising from the ashes," he said.
45"I believe in the dream, and if you work hard toward your dream, you can get there."
46I'm Caty Weaver.
1Ruhel Islam is walking among the ruins of his Gandhi Mahal Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The place was burned down during riots in the city following the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in May during an arrest by Minneapolis police. The arrest was captured on a video, that quickly spread around the internet. The incident led to an international movement against abuse by police. 2Islam expressed his support for the movement even as his restaurant burned. His daughter quoted him in a now famous message she posted to Facebook, saying, "Let my building burn, Justice needs to be served, put those officers in jail." 3Islam is a native of Bangladesh. He moved to the United States in 1996. In 2005, he opened Gandhi Mahal. The restaurant stood about four kilometers from the site of Floyd's arrest. 4"This is a very deep problem we need to solve. It's not their fault," he said of the protesters. "It's the system's fault. Our policymakers did not resolve the issues and that's why this happened." 5Standing united 6He said his pain and loss was little in comparison to what Floyd's family had suffered. Islam added that the South Asian community needs to show it is united with African Americans because both groups are minorities and people of color. 7"It's very important to stand with them shoulder to shoulder and fight for what's right for everyone for a better world," he said. 8People across Minneapolis and from other parts of the country have been raising money to help pay for Islam's losses. 9Among those seeking to help is Rachael Joseph, director of Survivors Lead. The group was formed by gun violence survivors and fights for stronger gun laws. She started a group to raise money on Facebook for Gandhi Mahal. It has received more than $64,000. 10She wrote in an e-mail to VOA that the restaurant was important to the gun control group. She said, "Ruhel and his family showed the same kindness to all who entered those doors." She also said the Islam family has been "fighting white supremacy alongside the community." 11Getting back to business 12Islam is opening another food service business in the same neighborhood until the Gandhi Mahal can be rebuilt. The new restaurant will be called Curry in a Hurry. It will provide food for take away and is expected to be ready by September. 13Islam is also working with several community organizations to re-create Gandhi Mahal as part of a multicultural community center. 14One of the groups is Pangea World Theater. Its goal is to support human rights through artistic performance that deals with discrimination. Its founder, Dipankar Mukherjee and Islam are close friends. Mukherjee said the Gandhi Mahal provided space for many of the theater's social and musical events. He misses the restaurant. 15"It's heartbreaking to even sit here," he said while looking at the remains of the Gandhi Mahal. 16Mukherjee hopes that the new building will be big enough to hold Pangea's theatrical shows, including more projects centered on Black lives. 17Mukherjee described Islam as "a brother from back home who's committed to food justice, environmental justice." 18Leading by example 19Islam has many big ideas for the new building. He pictures it as a place for peace, although the project is still being planned. He imagines it as a center where activists and community organizers can gather to discuss issues such as food security, climate change and social justice. 20"I want to lead by example," Islam said. "I want to do something more. It's not about making money, but bringing people together. 21He aims to create an area in front of the restaurant that will include a Black Lives Matter memorial. He also dreams of an environmentally friendly space, powered by the sun. 22Islam believes that rebuilding the restaurant as a community center will help renew the area which many businesses have left because of the riots. 23"We want to bring the energy back. We want to bring the businesses back," he said. 24Islam estimates the project will cost almost $10 million and take three to five years to complete. 25"We'll be rising from the ashes," he said. "I believe in the dream, and if you work hard toward your dream, you can get there." 26I'm Caty Weaver. 27VOA's Kulsoom Khan reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 28__________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30quote -v. to repeat something said by someone else exactly 31fault -n. responsibility for a problem, a mistake, a bad situation 32shoulder to shoulder -idiom to be united in a shared cause 33supremacy -n. the quality or state of having more power than anyone else 34committed -adj. willing to give your time and energy to something 35We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.