McDONALD’S has come under fire for mistakenly giving Muslim Fatima Hussain unblessed meat she is forbidden to eat.
Fatima was left disgusted after a North branch of the fast food chain gave her a chicken burger instead of a spicy veggie deli burger.
Islam forbids the eating of any kind of meat which is not “Halal”, meaning it has been blessed by an imam and slaughtered in special conditions.
Fatima, 21, had managed to live her whole life carefully avoiding breaking the strict rules of her religion until she emigrated to the North.
The Pakistani, who now lives in Newcastle, had eaten half the burger before she realised the restaurant’s blunder.
It meant Fatima had eaten unblessed meat for the first time in her life and committed what is considered a terrible sin according to her beliefs.
She approached the manager, who admitted the mistake, and reluctantly accepted a refund at the restaurant.
However, the Northumbria University student was left dismayed when McDonald’s offered no apology.
The fast food chain has since said sorry.
She said: “It’s the first time in my life I’ve eaten meat which was not Halal. I was shocked and seriously mentally disturbed.
“I didn’t want to accept the refund because that’s not the point. Can a refund bring back 21 years of religious practice?
“I’ve kept the receipt and I’ve asked them for a written apology. They said an area manager was going to give me a ring but I have heard nothing.
“I regularly eat at McDonald’s and have a good relationship with them. I’ve even had a job interview there. But I want to warn other members of the Muslim community that this has happened.”
The Islamic word Halal basically means “lawful” and is used to refer to meat that has been prepared under special religious conditions.
The animal is slaughtered in the name of Allah with a swift, deep cut to the neck leading to instant death – although some have questioned whether or not this can be guaranteed.
Most Western fast food outlets do not provide Halal options but offer vegetarian meals, such as the spicy veggie burger ordered by Fatima.
McDonald’s has now apologised for what they said was a genuine mistake and offered to make a donation to charity.
A spokesman for the fast food chain said: “We are very sorry that in a genuine mistake we served the wrong deli sandwich and we understand how distressing this was for the customer concerned.
“As a token of apology, we would like to make a donation to a charity of her choice.”
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