The Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced the filing of a civil rights complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) against Domino’s Pizza located in Waterford, Michigan, on behalf of two Muslim women and their minor children after they experienced what appeared to be food tampering by an employee who allegedly made racist and Islamophobic remarks about the family in front of another customer.
The MDCR complaint alleges violations of the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, citing discriminatory comments made by a store employee and the intentional contamination of with both pizzas ordered by the family with pork, which is strictly prohibited in Islam, despite clear requests from the women for no pork. Additionally, according to the complaint, one of the pizzas was contaminated with a hair imbedded in the cheese, which further heightened the concerns of the women about intentional tampering motivated by anti-Muslim bias.
“This was apparently not an innocent mistake or a customer service issue—it was a targeted act of religious discrimination that humiliated and endangered a Muslim family,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “We are demanding accountability from Domino’s Pizza and a full investigation from the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.”
According to the complaint, the family was informed by a bystander that derogatory and Islamophobic remarks were made by a store employee while referencing their visibly Muslim appearance. The incident, paired with the contaminated food and Domino’s refusal to address the matter adequately, raises serious concerns about religious bias and lack of accountability.
“This complaint is about far more than a mishandled order,” said CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Amy V. Doukoure, “It’s about holding businesses accountable when they permit or ignore blatant acts of Islamophobia, and about ensuring Muslim families can access public spaces and services without fear of being harassed or targeted.”
Following this incident the women made complaints to the management of the location and the corporate office for Dominos as well as the Waterford Township Police Department. Prior to filing this instant MDCR complaint, CAIR-MI wrote to the management at the location and the corporate office but did not receive any response addressing their concerns. According to a recent letter from the Waterford Township Police Department, they have completed their investigation and have submitted a request for criminal charges to the county prosector’s office.
CAIR-MI urges anyone who witnessed this event to come forward and contact CAIR-MI.
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director, Dawud Walid (248) 842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure, (586) 943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com