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Muslim woman says Chicopee McDonald's discriminated against her

A McDonald's sign in Meriden, Connecticut.
Mike Mozart
/
Creative Commons / flickr.com/photos/jeepersmedia
A McDonald's sign in Meriden, Connecticut.

A Muslim woman says a McDonald's restaurant in Chicopee, Massachusetts, discriminated against her by intentionally serving her food she didn't order and which violates her religion.

The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Ghadir Alahmar, who was dressed in a hijab and an abaya, ordered a plain fish sandwich for her son at the McDonald's last June.

But Barbara Dougan, who is an attorney with the non-profit, said that's not what they got.

"When the little boy opened the sandwich, he found least three to four full strips of bacon that had been stuffed into the sandwich," Dougan said.

Dougan said the quantity of bacon, plus the fact that it's not something typically included on a fish sandwich, makes it clear it was no accident.

Alahmar, is a Chicopee resident, has filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and is eventually hoping to recover monetary damages.

In a written statement, the franchise owner said the claims go against everything they stand for and they're actively looking into the matter.

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.
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