BOSTON (AP) — Staff at a McDonald’s eating place in Massachusetts deliberately put bacon on a fish sandwich {that a} Muslim girl had ordered for one in every of her youngsters, a civil rights group mentioned Wednesday.
The Council on American-Islamic Members of the family filed a discrimination grievance at the girl’s behalf with the Massachusetts Fee Towards Discrimination.
“It’s recurrently identified that Islam forbids Muslims from consuming red meat,” the grievance says. “McDonald’s staff willfully added bacon to the complainant’s meals so that you can offend, humiliate, and reason misery to complainant and her babies.”
The circle of relatives used to be served the sandwich ultimate June at a McDonald’s eating place in Chicopee, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) west of Boston.
The grievance is step one within the procedure for in the hunt for financial damages, mentioned Barbara Dougan, a CAIR legal professional. She additionally hopes it activates McDonald’s to higher educate its employees to forestall a equivalent incident sooner or later.
“Spiritual discrimination at a spot of public lodging isn’t just unlawful, but additionally morally reprehensible,” she mentioned in a commentary.
An e mail in the hunt for remark used to be left with McDonald’s company headquarters in Chicago. A message used to be additionally left with somebody who spoke back the telephone at Gomez Enterprises LLC, which operates the McDonald’s on Meadow Boulevard in Chicopee.
The revel in induced one the kids to invite his mom if “they hate us.”
“McDonald’s made my youngsters and me really feel undesirable and nugatory via deliberately stuffing a fish sandwich stuffed with bacon for no different explanation why than to punish us for our religion and non secular convictions,” the girl, Ghadir Alahmar, mentioned in a commentary. “This in point of fact harm us. My youngsters now wonder whether they’re welcome in their very own nation. They inquire from me, ‘Do they hate us?’ How is a mom intended to reply to that query?”
Alahmar, who wears a hajib and an abaya, entered the shop on June 29 of ultimate 12 months together with her dual 7-year-old sons, the grievance says. She ordered a undeniable fish sandwich, and had one in every of her youngsters repeat the order to a employee in case they didn’t perceive her accessory.
They gained their order, which incorporated fries and cookies, and left the eating place to stroll to a close-by college playground the place they deliberate to devour. One in all her sons spotted the bacon.
The sandwich now not handiest had bacon on it, however seemed to have further bacon, the grievance says.
They didn’t devour the bacon, however one son ate the decrease part of the bun and a part of the fish filet, in step with the grievance.
Alahmar’s husband returned to the shop with the uneaten portion of the sandwich later that very same night time and used to be refunded the acquisition worth.