The Ex-Muslims of North America (ExMNA) requested a special cake from the Wegmans branch in Fairfax, Virginia last month, and they hoped for it to carry the ExMNA name and logo together with the caption "Congratulations on 3 years!!"
Unfortunately for the group, when they called the grocery store to confirm the design and status of the cake, they were reportedly greeted by a "rude bakery associate" who denied the request because it was "offensive" to Muslims.
The atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation (FRFF) wrote a letter to Wegmans' CEO Daniel Wegman and President Colleen Wegman warning that refusing to make the cake was "a serious civil rights violation."
"Refusing to bake and decorate a cake for a group of ex-Muslims is refusing to provide equal enjoyment of goods, services, privileges, and advantages on the basis of religious identification. It is unlawful discrimination," said FRFF staff attorney Andrew Seidel.
"There is no need for Wegmans to construe the cake's message or educate employees about its meaning. Should an employee have such heightened sensibilities that merely acknowledging the existence of ex-Muslims distresses them, surely another, less sensitive employee can be found to decorate the cake," he adds.
To make up for the incident, the Wegmans responded to the FRFF's complaint and agreed not only to make the cake, but to provide it to the ExMNA free of charge.
For his part, ExMNA president Muhammad Syed expressed his appreciation for the Wegmans for the turn-around. "We are grateful that Wegmans management took this issue seriously, and agreed with us that the actions of their Fairfax bakery employees were categorically wrong," Syed said.
