Judge approves McDonald's settlement

A judge has approved a $700,000 settlement between McDonald's Corp. and more than 30 Michigan customers, the complainants' lawyers confirmed. The customers accused two local McDonald's restaurants in Dearborn, Mich., of deceiving them into believing the meat products were halal — an Arabic term used to identify meats prepared in accordance with the Muslim religion. Ahmed Ahmed is listed as the plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed in 2011, MLive.com reported. A judge approved the settlement Wednesday, and the funds will be distributed among Ahmed, his attorneys, Dearborn's Arab American National Museum and a health clinic in Detroit. But many who have criticized the settlement said the money should go directly to the Muslims affected, and not to Detroit organizations, the Detroit Free Press reported. Those critics are calling for a boycott of McDonald's for how it handled the case, but McDonald's representatives have said the company wanted the funds to benefit the local community, the Free Press said. Halal-labeled items are sold at only two locations in the United States, both of which are in Dearborn, MLive.com said. About 150,000 Muslims live in the metro Detroit area.