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McDonald’s to Pay $700,000 to Muslim Groups Over Islamic Dietary Law Dispute

Jan. 22, 2013 10:52am Billy Hallowell

Photo Credit: AP

DEARBORN, Mich. (TheBlaze/AP) — McDonald’s and one of its franchise owners agreed to pay $700,000 to members of the Muslim community to settle allegations a Detroit-area restaurant falsely advertised its food as being prepared according to Islamic dietary law.

McDonald’s and Finley’s Management Co. agreed Friday to the tentative settlement, with that money to be shared by Dearborn Heights resident Ahmed Ahmed, a Detroit health clinic, the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn and lawyers.

Ahmed’s attorney, Kassem Dakhlallah, told The Associated Press on Monday that he’s “thrilled” with the preliminary deal that’s expected to be finalized March 1. McDonald’s and Finley’s Management deny any liability but say the settlement is in their best interests.

The lawsuit alleged that Ahmed bought a chicken sandwich in September 2011 at a Dearborn McDonald’s but found it wasn’t halal — meaning it didn’t meet Islamic requirements for preparing food. Islam forbids consumption of pork, and God’s name must be invoked before an animal providing meat for consumption is slaughtered.

Dakhlallah said there are only two McDonald’s in the United States that sell halal products and both are in Dearborn, which has one of the nation’s largest Arab and Muslim communities. Overall, the Detroit area is home to about 150,000 Muslims of many different ethnicities.

The locations advertise that they exclusively sell halal Chicken McNuggets and McChicken sandwiches and they have to get those products from an approved halal provider, Dakhlallah said. He said there was no evidence of problems on the production side, but he alleges that the Dearborn location on Ford Road sold non-halal products when it ran out of halal.

Dakhlallah said he was approached by Ahmed, and they conducted an investigation. A letter sent to McDonald’s Corp. and Finley’s Management by Dakhlallah’s firm said Ahmed had “confirmed from a source familiar with the inventory” that the restaurant had sold non-halal food “on many occasions.”

After they received no response to the letter, Dakhlallah said, they filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court in November 2011 as part of a class action.

Photo Credit: AP

The AP left messages Monday afternoon for attorneys representing the corporation and the franchise.

In the settlement notice, Finley’s Management said it “has a carefully designed system for preparing and serving halal such that halal chicken products are labeled, stored, refrigerated, and cooked in halal-only areas.” The company added it trains its employees on preparing halal food and “requires strict adherence to the process.”

He said although Ahmed believes McDonald’s was negligent, there was no evidence that the chain set out to deceive customers.

“McDonald’s from the very beginning stepped up and took this case very seriously,” Dakhlallah said. “They made it clear they wanted to resolve this. They got ahead of the problem.”

The lawsuit covers anyone who bought the halal-advertised products from the Ford Road restaurant and another Dearborn McDonald’s with a different owner between September 2005 and last Friday. Since that would be impossible to determine, Dakhlallah said both sides agreed to provide money to community-based charities that benefit members of this group.

The other location on Michigan Avenue wasn’t a defendant or a focus of the investigation, Dakhlallah said.

He said the final hearing will ultimately determine who gets what and how much, but roughly $275,000 is expected to go to the Huda Clinic, about $150,000 to the museum, $230,000 to attorneys and $20,000 to Ahmed.

Dakhlallah said he believes it’s the first lawsuit of its kind related to McDonald’s and halal food — one that surely sparks both controversy and discussion.

In 2002, McDonald’s agreed to donate $10 million to Hindu and other groups in the U.S. to settle lawsuits that accused the chain of mislabeling french fries and hash browns as vegetarian. The vegetable oil used to prepare the items had contained traces of beef for flavoring purposes.

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Comments (210)

THX-1138
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:30pm
Looks like I’m done with McD’s now (much to my waistline’s benefit).

They can go to Halal as far as I’m concerned…

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leary1
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:29pm
Why does McDonalds feel a need to cowtow to the muslims? This was never done for others like the jews. This urge to pacify the muslim community is an insult to America, and to me !! TO ALL MUSLIMS, IF YOU DON`T LIKE OUR FAST FOODS, OUR RELIGIONS, OUR DIVERSITY, OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT…..GET OUT GO HOME CHANGE YOUR OWN COUNTRY TO YOUR LIKING QUIT MESSIN WITH MINE !!!! It is not our resposibility to appease you, it is YOUR DUTY TO APPEASE US.!!

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- Hamsterama
  Posted on January 22, 2013 at 2:57pm
  If McDonald’s was doing this due to this silly urge we self loathing whiteys have not to upset the darker people, I would agree with you. But I’m betting their motivation is economic, in which case I’d say Venditor Caveat (seller beware). The real tragedy here would be if the abovementioned self loathing played a part in the trial and sentencing.
  
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searcher619
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:28pm
McDonald’s was stupid to make such a claim. They had to know someone would challenge them on this. Hell they turned one woman who spilled the hot coffee she ordered on herself into a millionaire… they didn’t thnk anyone woudl be willing to take them to court over this?

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LIBERTY714
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:24pm
“The other location on Michigan Avenue wasn’t a defendant or a focus of the investigation, Dakhlallah said”
I bet it is because this restaurant is owned by Muslims. They purchase their muslim food at the same place but they got the blessed stuff. Yeah, right

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cassandra
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:22pm
and an American born resturant cant say this is our menu take it or leave it ? I have eaten my last Mc traitor NEVER AGAIN

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- searcher619
  Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:37pm
  Cassy,
  
  That’s NOT the issue here. McDonald’s made a claim that turns out to be untrue. When a business falsely advertises they should be held accountable. this is about McD’s lying abut the nature of their food and being caught. If they in fact were not lying they should have been able to easily prove it in court.
  
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yoshik
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:08pm
Don’t serve Jihadists.

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- searcher619
  Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:33pm
  Thank you for showing us you are a bigot. Or are you just stupid? do you honestly think all Muslims are jihadists? I guess all white people are members of the KKK? All Italians are members of the Mafia? Please pull your head out of your arse and learn the art of CIVIL debate.
  
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Micmac
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:05pm
Stopped eating their “food” years ago, as everything tastes the same.

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RedHedMan
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 1:04pm
Here’s a different angle. McDonalds has a big factory (maybe several of them) that makes all their food to ship out to McDonalds all over the world. How is McDonalds supposed to know what food is going where, and if those locations serve kosher friendly food or not? I imagine if the need was great enough, McDonalds could set up a factory that only processes kosher type food for shipment to those locations that serve those customers.

To me, critisizing McDonalds for not carrying kosher meals is crazy. Why are you not critisizing the local community for not seeing a business opportunity and opening a fast food joint that serves that type food. I’m sure its not easy, and I’m sure its not cheap. I imagine thats why we don’t see veegan restaraunts all over the place. The time and effort that goes into food preparation would make the food too expensive to be viable as a franchize. UNLESS we can get government subsidies to offset the cost of food prearation and storage! Hooray, more money out of the taxpayers pockets!

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Karliner
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:58pm
And people mocked my words ten years ago when they said dhimmi-tude” will never happen in America.
Bless them for their optimism, screw em for their stupidity that islam is anything but peaceful and their goal is complete dominance of the world.

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VetMike
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:49pm
Sheep that are to be slaughtered have their throat cut while still alive and without being stunned beforehand. Of course, they say the name of Allah while doing it so it is okay. Of note is that kosher food is prepared the same way.

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chucksue351
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:44pm
there islamic law can go to h, where it came from

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RinkyDink34
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:41pm
We I’ll be dipped!
I’m going to get $700k because I’m Polish and McDonald’s doesn’t PIEROGI’s ain’t on their menu
; oh my God finally I get the American dream $$$$$$$$$$$ hip hip Hurrah!

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- jhrusky
  Posted on January 22, 2013 at 2:39pm
  If they are advertising Pierogi’s but do not carry them, then you may well have a case.
  
  It’s amazing how this article has went over the heads of so many people here … the eagerness to hate muslims of all types has truly blinded people.
  
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miller721108
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:34pm
The simplest way to insulate themselves from further liability would be to eliminate the hala items and notice from the buildings. The strength of the big chains is their brand consistency. Serve what the chain, as a whole, serves and let the greater area market determine if the restaurant will succeed or fail. Keep the politics out of it. Politics + business = profit vortex of woe. With that size of muslim community in the area a few halal-specialized mom and pop eateries should do quite well. An enterprising business person may be able to turn that food niche into a bit of a gold mine.

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RDavis49
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:26pm
I say this franchise brought this on themselves when they tried to please the muslims (which we all know from observation and experience is impossible). Why would a hamburger joint give a flying flip if you prepare the food to suit a cult religion anyways? Either you like the Big Mac or you go somewhere else to eat….. PERIOD. This old BS of people and business’s bending over backwards to comply with a religious mandate is insane thinking. No one cares about what’s offensive to Christians, why would you care about the muslims? Hypocrites….. stone cold hypocirtes….

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o2nine17
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:24pm
Just added MacDonalds to to list of do not support with my purchases, along with a nastgram to The Weather Channel for it’s unending “Global Warming” B.S. stories…

Pretty soon I an going to run out of places to spend my hard earned money..

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Mamma Bear
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:21pm
Shame on McDonald’s for trying to cater to them – again they have specifically stated they will use any means of stealth jihad – they will always try to find a way to rob American Business’. Stupid infidels – as they laugh all the way to the bank. Reason #423 never to do business with Muslims’.

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eat-more-bacon-USA
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:10pm
This is why it is important for Americans to not play the muslims’ games. We must not let them get a foothold.

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ares338
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:09pm
Arrrggghhhhh….why does everyone kiss big fat hairy Muslim B.U.T.T?

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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:07pm
I am an honorary atheist today. McDs is in violation of separation of church and State (since it is a Taxpayer). Either that or McDs is now a religious group and exempt of ALL obamacare mandates.

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- Hamsterama
  Posted on January 22, 2013 at 3:17pm
  McDonalds being a taxpayer does not render it an agent of the state. It’s actions have no bearing on protecting religion from state bias. Where it may be a little sticky here is the courts assigning monetary value to having one’s religious sensibilities offended. Forget it though, if a precedent for the amount has been set in a previous secular case or the court was following a guideline.
  
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RaydocX
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:07pm
so he ‘suspected’ this and there is no evidence and rather than risk public backlash McDonalds is caving vs. defending itself?

wait til i get home… i suspect a rat was inadvertently included in a Big Mac i ate at Mcdonalds last week…

tort reform will follow when the pendulum finally swings back, if things have not fallen apart by then…

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NachtundNebel
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:01pm
Actually, McDonald’s should cater to whoever they want their cutomer base to be. They’ve been “tailoring” their ads to certain clientele for years now. We (the rest of America) can correct all of this by simply NOT giving our money to McDonald’s. A noted conservative said recently that he did not believe in boycotting businesses? Seriously? How infantile! No, you don’t have to do it like Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson – just DON’T GO TO MCDONALD’S! You’ll be doing your kids a nutritional favor too.

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NachtundNebel
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 11:50am
Dear McDonald’s; It’s been 30 years since I’ve visited one of your restaurants, so you won’t miss my business. However, I’m going to spread this story far and wide. I will also go to Arby’s more often, and order the BLT! I suggest that KBR or whoever supplies prisoner meals to Gitmo switch to ALL PORK PRODUCTS. Respect? Respect for people who applaud blowing up schoolbuses? Endless degredation and insults is my answer to that!

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huey6367
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 11:48am
I was wondering if the Islamists are stupid or geniuses. You went to a McDonald’s because the meal was prepared according to Islamic law? They are stupid if they believe this. They are geniuses if they went just so they could sue McD’s.

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- Twinoaks
  Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:51pm
  Huey…you know who is stupid? all those americans who complain 24/7 about no jobs…then ask for money from the Govt and use tax payers money to buy cigarettes and booze…even Muslims and illegal immigrants have jobs in this country! How absurd is that! So stop condemning other people…These Arabs take money from Mcd…not your money or the tax payers money!
  
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arkay
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 11:48am
This is a great expample of how twisted and screwed up our society has become. Why are corporations bowing down to every freaking splinter group in the world to get thier money. If someone does not like the food(or product) then don’t buy it and tell these idiots to go someplace else. No one forces someone to buy a sandwich, so tellthem to shove it….this is just sick….then only people happy about this are the lawyers…..If think MD is totally wrong in this action…..as all companies should be if they follow this mode of action

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AnAmerican111
Posted on January 22, 2013 at 11:48am
Only in America!
muslims! Nothing more useless!

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- BurnCK
  Posted on January 23, 2013 at 5:10am
  Nothing more useless…other than the majority of Americans you mean.
  
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- Twinoaks
  Posted on January 23, 2013 at 8:37am
  You know who is useless? All those Americans who compliant 24/7 about no jobs and they get a free ride from the Govt spending the hard working tax payers money to buy cigarettes and booze! Even Muslims, illegal immigrants, hispanics and asians have jobs in America! How absurd is that!!!! These arabs do not take your money, my money or tax payers money. Who cares if they take McD money! So useless Americans, stop being potato couch and stop surfing the internet each day commenting on things that gets u nowhere!..Go find a job! Only in this country welfares are given and tax payers money are spent and given to people who complain about life 24/7! Bitch about life 24/7! How useless is that!! Islam-phobic gets u nowhere!
  
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