Muslim customer sues Little Caesars for $100 million over 'halal' pizza with pork

Little Caesars pizza. (PRNewsFoto/Little Caesars Pizza)

A Muslim man claims he was served and accidentally ate pork, a food prohibited in his religion, after ordering a halal pepperoni pizza advertised at Little Caesars.

Now, he plans on making the franchise pay up.

The Detroit News reports that Mohamad Bazzi, 32, saw a sign in the window of a Dearborn, Mich., Little Caesars on March 20 announcing it served halal pepperoni, meaning the food meets Islamic guidelines—the equivalent of being kosher in Judaism, explains the Detroit Free Press.

He says he ordered a pie that he began eating with his wife at home before they realized the pepperoni was not halal. Bazzi previously worked at a pizza shop and says he was able to see the difference, while his wife, a converted Muslim, tasted the difference having grown up eating pork.

According to court documents, the pair say they became sick and filed a police report three days later. Bazzi returned to the franchise in May and ordered another halal pepperoni pizza, which he claims again contained pork.

When he complained in a recorded conversation, the manager claimed he asked for a regular pepperoni pizza with a halal sticker on the box, which he denies.

"They have no regard for people's religious beliefs," says Bazzi’s lawyer. "This is a violation of the Muslim faith." A rep for Little Caesars says they cannot comment on pending litigation, but are taking the claim “very seriously.” Click On Detroit has photos of the franchise’s signs advertising the halal option as well as Bazzi’s receipts.

Moughni says the transaction violates a state law referred to as the Wayne County Halal and Kosher Anti-Fraud and Truth-In-Labeling Ordinance, and Bazzi is suing the company to the tune of $100 million.

(Read about a little-known billionaire's job: making cheese for our pizza.)

This article originally appeared on Newser: Muslim Customer Sues Little Caesars for $100M

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