Quebec’s top court has ruled that a judge was wrong to deny a hearing to a woman wearing a hijab, sending a message from the bench about religious freedoms as the province heads into renewed debate over limiting displays of faith.
The judgment by the Quebec Court of Appeal on Wednesday ends a legal saga for Rania El-Alloul, who was told by a provincial court judge three years ago that her Muslim headscarf violated the rules of courtroom decorum.
The three justices from Quebec’s highest court unanimously found that the judge was off the mark - and nothing in the rules forbids a woman from wearing a hijab in a courtroom if the practice stems from sincere religious belief.
"I’m relieved. I didn’t do this for me, I did it for everybody, because I didn’t want them to face what I did,” Ms. El-Alloul said in an interview. “I did it because I felt it was my duty and my right.” [The Globe and Mail] Read more
