Peter Williams, Contributing Photographer

A new coffee and pastries shop celebrated its grand opening on Sunday, Jan. 21 with the goal of promoting unity in New Haven.

Muslims of the World, an Arabic-inspired coffee and pastries shop, is focused on promoting its goals of creating solidarity, unity and greater understanding through a mission of “coffee with a purpose.” At its opening, MOTW welcomed a crowd of Yale students and New Haven residents the minute it opened its doors.

When asked about the warm welcome from the New Haven community, Ijlal Aslam, one of four co-owners, expressed his gratitude.

“We have such a great community around us,” Aslam said. “We’re not only bringing coffee, but coffee with a purpose — unity,” Aslam said. “With Yale and all the other schools around New Haven showing support this morning, we are all grateful.”

Muslims of the World, founded by Sajjad Shah, began as an Instagram page, eventually accumulating over 700,000 followers worldwide. MOTW Coffee and Pastries was born in Indiana when Shah and his wife decided to create a physical presence for this digital community. 

After expanding to four shops in the greater Indianapolis area, MOTW Coffee and Pastries is now spreading outside of the crossroads of America, starting with two new locations — one in Chicago and one in New Haven.

Having grown up with Shah’s wife, Ijlal Aslam and his three siblings, Bilal, Usama and Zainab all began to develop the dream of opening up a shop themselves when their friends established the original shop in Indiana. Having grown up less than 20 miles away in Waterbury, Aslam said New Haven was the natural location.

“We put family first,” Ijlal Aslam told the News. “To do business with siblings feels surreal. We all share a bond, we all get to do the same thing. It’s truly an indescribable feeling to get to do this with my siblings.”

The menu features a variety of traditional American cafe and Arabic-style drinks and sweets. The shop is decorated with a mural depicting a Pakistani export truck with a “chai wala,” or “tea seller,” pouring chai into a “matka,” or clay pot, in the desert.

Fawzaan Hashmi ’25, a Saybrook College student of Pakistani descent, appreciated the shop’s Pakistani culture and atmosphere. 

“In New Haven, I haven’t had any experiences of Pakistani cultures that are near to me,” Hashmi wrote to the News. “However, coming here, I’m reminded of my home, and I’m realizing that maybe I’m not so far after all.”

Asked about her favorite menu options, Zainab Aslam provided some recommendations.

Aslam said her favorite drink is the Yemeni Chai, and her favorite pastry is the honeycomb.

“I love the Yemeni Chai. It’s made with milk, black tea and cardamom,” Aslam said. “And my favorite pastry is probably the honeycomb — dough filled with cream cheese and topped with honey and black seed.”

MOTW Coffee and Pastries is located at 296 Crown St.