WATERFORD — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Michigan) has filed a civil rights complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, accusing a Domino’s Pizza outlet in Waterford of violating the constitutional rights of two Muslim women and their children following an alleged incident of Islamophobic abuse and food tampering earlier this year.

In a statement, CAIR-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid said the incident was not a benign mistake or a customer service failure, but rather a “deliberate act of religious discrimination that humiliated and endangered a Muslim family.”

“We are demanding accountability from Domino’s Pizza,” Walid said, “and we urge the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to conduct a full investigation into this troubling incident.”

The incident reportedly took place around 7 p.m. on March 11.

Incident details

According to the complaint, the two women — Lebanese-American Muslims — along with their children were at the Domino’s location in Waterford to pick up a carryout order. One of the women and a young girl in the group were wearing the hijab, which allegedly triggered a hostile reaction from a store employee.

The complaint adds that another customer informed the women that the employee had made derogatory and Islamophobic remarks. One of the women then confronted the employee over the comments.

CAIR-Michigan, which has encouraged any witnesses to come forward, stated that the family took the food home and, upon starting to eat, discovered that one of the pizza was covered in pork — a prohibited item in Islam. They also reportedly found a hair embedded in the cheese of another pizza.

The family submitted a complaint through Domino’s corporate website and contacted the store’s management. The store manager and a regional supervisor acknowledged the incident and promised to conduct an internal investigation. However, they denied any wrongdoing, citing a lack of conclusive evidence.

Police and legal action

In addition to the civil rights complaint, the women filed a report with the Waterford Township Police Department, which launched an investigation and submitted a request to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for potential criminal charges.

Waterford Police Chief Scott Underwood confirmed on Monday that the department had completed its investigation and formally referred the matter for prosecution, but said they have not yet received a response regarding charging decisions.

Separately, CAIR also sent a letter in April to Domino’s corporate headquarters requesting a formal investigation into the incident, but the organization said it has received no response.

Legal grounds and broader implications

CAIR is accusing Domino’s of violating the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, a Michigan law that prohibits discrimination in public accommodations. The organization also criticized the company for failing to take the family’s concerns seriously.

“This complaint is about more than a mishandled food order,” said CAIR-Michigan staff attorney Amy Doukoure. “It’s about holding corporations accountable when they enable or ignore blatant Islamophobia — and ensuring that Muslim families can access public spaces and services without fear of harassment or targeting.”

In its latest annual civil rights report, CAIR warned that Islamophobia remains at an all-time high across the country. The organization said it received 8,658 discrimination complaints from Muslims in 2024 alone — the highest number in its history since publishing its first annual civil rights report in 1996.