TRENTON, Ontario
A Canadian woman who refused a judge’s request to remove her hijab has turned down a $50,000 donation, it was reported Friday.
While grateful to those who raised the funds so she could buy a new car, Montreal resident Rania El-Alloul said the money could be put to better use helping those who had their civil rights violated.
“First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the financial and emotional support shown to my family through this funding campaign,” she posted on a fundraising website set up in her name. “The awareness raised by this campaign has brought us people from all over who have offered support to carry this issue forward. As a result, I believe that these funds can be put to better use helping those whose rights have been forfeited and stories left untold.”
El-Alloul’s case received international attention last month when she went to a Quebec court in a bid to get her car back, but was told by Judge Eliana Marengo that the hijab was not suitable attire for a courtroom. El-Alloul’s vehicle had been seized by the province’s automobile insurance board after her son was caught driving it with a suspended license.
When El-Alloul refused to remove the hijab, the judge in the case was suspended indefinitely. El-Alloul is a single mother and welfare recipient who could not afford to buy another vehicle.
A spontaneous fundraising campaign was started and currently stands at above $52,000.
The donated money will now be used to create a student bursary in El-Alloul’s name, and some will be given to Canadian civil liberties organizations.
At the time of the court’s Feb. 24 ruling, El-Alloul expressed disbelief in the way in which she was treated.
“When I came the first day when I made landing in Canada, I was wearing my hijab,” she said during a CBC interview following the court ruling. “When I swore to God to be a good Canadian citizen, I was wearing my hijab … But what happened in court made me feel afraid. I felt that I’m not Canadian anymore.”
But El-Alloul has not walked away from the issue.
She said she plans to file a formal complaint against the judge and is working with the Ottawa-based National Council of Canadian Muslims to achieve that goal.
