Muslim woman ordered by Judge to remove hijab before hearing her case

oge okonkwo

February 27, 2015 4:47 PM

Rania El-Alloul was told by judge Eliana Marengo that the courtroom in Montreal is a secular place and she wasn’t suitably dressed

A Muslim woman in Canada was reportedly told to remove her headscarf known as the hijab before a Judge would hear her.

Rania El-Alloul was told by judge Eliana Marengo that the courtroom in Montreal is a secular place and she wasn’t suitably dressed.

According to the Judge, 'Hats and sunglasses for example, are not allowed. And I don't see why scarves on the head would be either,' CBC news reports.

Reports say El-Allouk attended court in a bid to have her car returned after it was seized by police.

Her son was reported to have been driving the vehicle with a suspended licence when he was stopped and it was confiscated by Quebec's automobile insurance board.

The car was due to be kept for a month, but El-Allouk wanted the court to return it sooner, according to the broadcaster.

After the hearing she was said to have felt scared and 'not Canadian anymore,' CBC reported.

Her case was said to have been adjourned indefinitely.

The public display of religious symbols has been hotly debated in the predominantly French-speaking Canadian province in recent years.

In 2013, the pro-independence Parti Quebecois (PQ) government moved to ban public servants from wearing Muslim head coverings such as hijabs, Jewish skullcaps or other obvious religious symbols.

But the bill died when the PQ was defeated in a provincial election last year.

oge okonkwo