We understand that coming to university can be a daunting prospect for many Muslims, especially if it is in a town far away from home, or even a foreign country.  The ISoc has put together the following pointers with the hope that it will make your lives easier whilst at University.

Halal Food

Worried about finding Halal food in the area?  If you cannot bring along some Halal ready-meals from back home then worry no more.

- Canteens with Halal provision:

RHUL, despite having a small Muslim population compared to other London universities, really looks after the dietary needs of all students.  Simply look for the letter ‘H’ next to meat meals in The Hub, Crosslands, Founder’s Dining Hall and KW’s and meals that are suitable for you; they even use separate colour-coded utensils solely for preparing Halal meat.

NB: Halal meals may not be available every day of the week, but there is always the vegetarian option for the odd off-day.  For those living life in the fast lane, The Store on Campus conveniently has a good selection of Halal Sandwiches available. Remember, the Prophet (Allah’s peace and salutations be upon him) ate meat, but not frequently.

- Grocers/Halal Butchers:

The area RHUL is in does not have a large enough Muslim community that they have their own butchers.  Most Muslim students who wish to buy Halal meat will go to Slough or Hounslow – local towns that are a short bus trip away.

Take the 71 Bus to Slough (you will feel as if you are in Pakistan when you get there) – simply a 30 minute trip when it’s not rush hour.  Beneath Tesco by the Slough Bus Station, there is the National Halal Centre (0121 772 2700) (SL1 1XW) which is open till 7pm on weekdays, or the Kenya Halal Butchers (01753 573 564) (SL1 1PB).  There are others in Slough, but these are the most accessible and used by ISoc members regularly.

- Restaurants & Takeaways:

The following mentioned are fully Halal, but times change so we would always advise checking for yourselves.  

Rush Hour (01784 436 007), Egham High Street (walking distance). Slough has a number of Halal restaurants like Kashmiri Karahi, Nandos, KFC, Shehzad House and many more. Pizza Palace (01753 624 524) (SL4 1EF) in Windsor can be accessed via 71 bus.

There are other local takeaways that have a few halal meat meals on offer, but its best for you to personally check as these can change from time to time.

Things to do

Bored?  ISoc activities not quite enough for you?  Why not get a group together and try to have some (halal) fun?

- Windsor: Good for tourism, close by, lots of shops.  Also, both Virginia Water lakes and Windsor Great Park are close by and great for picturesque walks. The Runnymede Pleasure Grounds, only a 5 minute drive from campus, is also a great spot for picnics and frolicking, whilst a trip to the Air Force Memorial nearby is worth a visit. 

- Staines: Cinema and shopping centre, a short bus trip (71 & 441) from campus, and a 2 min train ride from Egham Station.

- Feltham & Heathrow: Bowling Alleys – the latter is cooler though.

- Slough: Bowling Alleys, countless Halal restaurants and takeaways.

- London: The nation’s capital has it all; and periodically there are Islamic-based functions which the ISoc will advertise.

Services

Look to our university’s SU, Career’s Service and Chaplaincy who have got many aspects from health to employment covered.

The local community, The Islamic Welfare Association of West Surrey (IWAWS), may be able to help with other requests. Try speaking to one of their members after the Friday Prayer, or try contacting them via their website: www.iwaws.org.uk. They have had an historic relationship of assisting the students’ needs.