GEORGE TOWN: IN a move to help the needy, Masjid Jamek Simpang Enam in Jalan Macalister is serving lunch to the underprivileged every Friday, between 11am to 1pm.
The mosque, founded on the endowment of Haji Abdul Wahab’s land in 1897, has been serving lunch buffet to the poor since April last year.
Mosque committee chairman Datuk Abdul Rafique Abdul Karim said the buffet was one of the mosque’s initiatives to help the needy and homeless in the state, regardless of race and religion.
“We welcome them to eat here with us. At least 150 people throng the mosque on Fridays for lunch since we started the programme last year,” he said.
Rafique also said that his mosque was the first Muslim religious establishment in Penang to serve buffet style lunch to the poor.
“Other mosques usually distribute packed food to them. Here, we encourage the needy to come to the mosque to eat as we want them to feel at home.
“This concept also helps us to get to know them better so that we can provide other assistance to them if needed,” he said.
Meanwhile, state secretary Datuk Seri Farizan Darus lauded the initiative and encouraged more mosques to conduct such programmes.
“If all the 207 mosques in Penang conducted such a programme, it will be a boon to many,” he said.
