(BOSTON, MA, 6/1/2022) – The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA) today announced that it has filed a complaint against McDonald’s with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) on behalf of a Muslim woman after employees stuffed her fish sandwich full of bacon.
Employees at a McDonald’s restaurant in Chicopee, Mass. added three to four strips of bacon to a fish sandwich ordered by Ghadir Alahmar for her 7-year-old child, despite her explicit request for a plain sandwich. Alahmar is visibly Muslim, as she wears a hijab, or Islamic headscarf, and abaya, a long Islamic dress. It is commonly known that Islam forbids Muslims from eating pork.
READ THE COMPLAINT: https://www.cairma.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Alhmar-v.-McDonalds-redacted-Complaint.pdf
The complaint included this photo showing the bacon that McDonald’s employees added to her child’s fish sandwich.
“Anti-Muslim bias takes many forms,” said CAIR-MA Legal Director Barbara J. Dougan, who represents the family. “But you can’t go much lower than tampering with the food of a young child. We hope that McDonald’s will find these actions as appalling as we do, and take all needed measures to ensure that something like this never happens again at the Chicopee store or any other location. Religious discrimination at a place of public accommodation is not only illegal, but also morally reprehensible.”
Ghadir Alahmar issued this statement:
“McDonald’s made my children and me feel unwanted and worthless by intentionally stuffing a fish sandwich full of bacon for no other reason than to punish us for our faith and religious convictions. This really hurt us. My children now wonder if they are welcome in their own country. They ask me, ‘Do they hate us?’ How is a mother supposed to answer that question?”
In the past few weeks, CAIR has responded to Islamophobic incidents in Michigan, New Jersey, Colorado, and Vermont.
SEE: CAIR-MI Calls for ‘Robust’ Investigation of Mosque Shooting, Offers Reward for Information
CAIR-NJ Condemns Assault on Muslim Girls at Nail Salon, Welcomes Investigation
CAIR Condemns Islamophobic, Racist Harassment of Muslim Hockey Player
CAIR Calls for Probe of Possible Bias Motive for Urine Poured Outside Vermont College’s Muslim Prayer Space
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-MA Legal Director Barbara J. Dougan, 781-281-9992, bdougan@cair.com