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The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Monday it filed a complaint with the state alleging that a Domino's Pizza worker in Waterford made Islamophobic remarks about a Muslim customer and her niece, who was wearing a hijab—a religious headscarf.
The three-page complaint, addressed to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights in Lansing, alleges that on March 11 around 7 p.m., a woman of Lebanese descent and her niece went to pick up pizzas from Domino's on Elizabeth Lake Road. The woman's sister remained in the car with a child.
A customer informed the Muslim woman who went inside the shop that a Domino's worker had "made derogatory and Islamophobic remarks about Muslims." The same customer reportedly confronted the employee directly and expressed sympathy to the Muslim customers for the discriminatory behavior they had experienced, the complaint said.
When the customers got home, they found that one of the pizzas had bacon on it—a pork product prohibited by Islam. The complaint alleges that the customer had explicitly requested no pork on the pizza due to religious dietary restrictions. They also found a hair embedded in the cheese of another pizza.
“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,” CAIR-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid said in a statement. “We are demanding accountability from Domino’s Pizza and a full investigation by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.”
CAIR stated that two employees were present in the shop at the time.
According to a CAIR press release, the Waterford Township Police Department has completed its investigation and requested criminal charges from the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office.
The police did not return a call from Deadline Detroit, which left a voice mail. However, an official confirmed to the Detroit News that the department had submitted a request for charges.
The CAIR complaint says the store manager and area supervisor acknowledged the incident, claimed an investigation took place, and denied any wrongdoing.
The complaint also states that CAIR wrote a letter to Domino’s Pizza demanding a full investigation, but received no response.
Deadline Detroit contacted the Waterford store, where a manager deferred the call to corporate headquarters. Media relations at headquarters did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Besides asking for a formal investigation, the complaint asks that Domino's implement anti-discrimination training for staff.
