LANSING, Mich. – A Michigan group that advocates for Muslims is filing a civil-rights complaint today against Tim Hortons restaurants, claiming a worker refused to serve a Muslim-American couple and told them to, quote, "Go back to your own country.'

At a news conference today, the Council on American Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter plans to release video from the incident, which it says took place at a Tim Hortons restaurant in Ypsilanti on June 28.

Amy Doukoure, a staff attorney for CAIR, says things went downhill when the couple said their coffee order was wrong and asked for a replacement or a refund.

"The clerk at Tim Hortons screamed at them the 'B' word, and then said, 'Go back to your own country,'” says Doukoure. “And she turned to the clerk and she said, 'This is my country, I was born in Lansing, Michigan. You can't say that to me. I belong here.' And the clerk was like, 'Oh, do you? Do you really? You don't belong here.'"

The couple – Alaa Kouider and her husband, Ameur Dhaimini – are U-S citizens living in Ann Arbor. They said the clerk, who appears to be an African American woman, seemed to be angered by his accent and her head covering.

They say they left a message on the Canadian-based restaurant chain's complaint line but have not heard back. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reached for comment, Tim Hortons said in a statement that they don't tolerate harassment, that the employee has been fired, and that the independent franchise owner is responsible for employment matters.

The incident bears similarities to a tweet this week from President Donald Trump, who said that Muslim-American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Somalia, should "go back...to the country from which she came." Doukoure says it's one in a long line of divisive remarks.

"He is propagating xenophobic and racist rhetoric,” says Doukoure. “It's creating an atmosphere where it's okay to determine if someone isn't from America, and that they're not 'American enough,' because of the way that they look – whether it's based on their color, or because they're wearing Islamic religious clothing."

Doukoure notes that her agency has gotten twice as many complaints of anti-Muslim harassment and discrimination this year compared to last. She says the couple in this case is seeking an apology and wants the company to conduct sensitivity training.

The Department of Civil Rights will investigate whether Tim Hortons unlawfully denied service at a public accommodation based on religion or national origin.


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The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas says it is monitoring protests at college campuses, after almost 60 students protesting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were arrested during a demonstration at the University of Texas in Austin.

State troopers on horses and in riot gear were called in to control the crowd. ACLU Staff Attorney Brian Klosterboer said students planning to participate in peaceful protests should know their rights.

"We encourage everyone to follow the guidance of law enforcement even if they believe that law enforcement might be violating their First Amendment or constitutional rights," said Klosterboer. "It's important that people try to stay safe. Remember, they also have a right to remain silent. You can ask if you are free to leave."

Charges were dropped against the protesters in Austin. Students also held a sit-in at the University of Texas in Dallas and a walkout was held at the University of Texas in Arlington.

Following the arrests of the protesters, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on the social media platform X that the students belonged in jail, and accused them of hate speech.

Klosterboer said when state officials attack free speech, they undermine the core of democracy.

"Texas public universities were specifically designated by Gov. Abbott as traditional public forums," said Klosterboer. "That's where students and others who are engaging in any kind of speech, whether it's passing out Bibles and religious literature or engaging in protests for human rights. That's where free speech is at its apex."

He added that if someone feels their civil liberties have been violated, they can file a complaint on the ACLU website.

The demonstrations in Texas are part of nationwide protests calling for a ceasefire between the Israeli forces and Hamas.





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The Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed class-action lawsuit challenging a measure barring people from listing a gender on their birth certificate other than the one they were born with.

Montana lawmakers passed Senate Bill 280 in 2021, which requires a court order to change gender on a birth certificate. A state court issued an injunction against the measure but now the state health department has put a total ban on changes to sex designations on birth certificates.

Akilah Deernose, executive director of the ACLU of Montana, called the measure part of a "concerted and unrelenting attack" on the civil rights of people who identify as transgender.

"We've previously sued on the birth certificate issue," Deernose pointed out. "Once again, we're seeing the state implement laws and rules and policies that unfairly target transgender people."

On the other side, some people argued birth certificates contain vital statistics and should be based on the facts at the time of birth. The suit awaits action in state court.

Deernose noted beyond privacy rights, the birth certificate measure has the potential to force a person to declare themselves to be someone other than who they are, based on their declared identity.

"And who they know themselves to be," Deernose observed. "That puts them at risk of discrimination and also forces them to out themselves every time they share those identity documents."

The suit also challenges a motor vehicle department policy forbidding changing sex designations on driver's licenses.

New York state lawmakers have appointed members to the Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, created through legislation Gov. Kathy Hochul signed in 2023.

Its goal is to examine the legacy of slavery and its continuing impacts on black New Yorkers. The commission will develop a report outlining recommendations for addressing these inequities.

Linda J. Mann, co-founder of the African American Redress Network, said there is one problem facing the commission: a lack of funds.

"It is absolutely imperative that funds for these types of task force, because of the amount of research that's going into it, is an imperative," Mann emphasized.

While the bill had plenty of Democratic support, it drew the ire of Republican lawmakers.

Many areas of the country are determining how to redress past disparities Black people face. A recent report found philanthropies have received millions in funds stemming from depriving Black people of opportunities to build wealth similar to those of their white counterparts.

The New York commission will have to present its findings in 2025.

A 2021 Pew Research survey showed three-quarters of Black Americans surveyed support reparations, while only 18% of white Americans support it.

Along with the U.S., countries worldwide are navigating reparations, with Mann noting they are not always compensatory.

"We're not talking about just altering economic wellness," Mann pointed out. "There's other ways in which historical harms have led to disparities in education, in health, in housing."

Beyond New York, California is the only other state to have created a reparations commission. California's reparations task force recommended some compensatory reparations based on factors such as health harms, mass incarceration and over-policing, housing discrimination and the devaluation of African American businesses. But, it wasn't certain how much all of this would amount to.