A Quebec woman who was denied a court hearing while wearing a hijab says she is filing a complaint with the province’s judicial council.
Rania El-Alloul says she shouldn’t have to “choose” between her country and her faith in order to use Canada’s justice system.
El-Alloul was denied a court hearing last month when she refused to take off her hijab at the request of a judge. El-Alloul had intended to take the Quebec automobile insurance board to court after they temporarily seized her vehicle.
Judge Eliana Marengo told El-Alloul to remove the hijab because she wanted her courtroom to remain secular.
“It has raised a lot of questions about whether or not a woman practising her faith can equally access justice like anyone else,” El-Alloul said at a news conference Friday.
El-Alloul’s lawyer, Julius Grey, said she is seeking “vindication” with the judicial complaint.
“A judge cannot choose their clientele,” Grey said.
El-Alloul recently turned down approximately $52,000 in donations raised through a crowdfunding campaign set up by people sympathetic to her situation. She thanked the more than 1,000 donors for helping her to raise awareness about the issue.
“I believe that these funds can be put to better use helping those whose rights have been forfeited and stories left untold,” she said at the time.
