People across the country are coming out in support Rania El-Alloul, who made headlines last week when a Quebec judge ordered her to remove her hijab in court.
El-Alloul refused, and therefore Justice Eliana Marengo refused to hear her case.
A Montreal man – who is a complete stranger to El-Alloul – has filed a complaint with Quebec's judicial council on her behalf.
Jean-Pierre Lussier wasn't in the courtroom that day, but he felt compelled to do something in her defence.
Lussier told La Presse he's not a lawyer and isn't involved in the legal profession at all, but he was concerned by what happened to El-Alloul.
The judicial council hasn't confirmed receiving this complaint, because the complaint process is confidential.
The incident began last week when El-Alloul appeared in court in an attempt to retrieve her car.
The vehicle was temporarily seized by the SAAQ after one of her sons was caught driving it with a suspended licence.
Marengo asked El-Alloul why she was wearing a scarf, then told her she was not suitably dressed for a secular space.
The judge also said it was against decorum and said she wouldn't allow someone to wear a hat or sunglasses on their head, so she wouldn't make an exception for a scarf on the head.
El-Alloul told the judge she's a single mother on welfare with three sons, and couldn't wait an entire month to get her car back.
Because she wouldn't remove her religious headwear, the judge refused to hear her testify. The case was postponed.
This story has triggered plenty of outrage; an online crowdfunding campaign to buy her a new car has raised more than $47,000 in just three days.
El-Alloul said she's exploring her options, including filing her own complaint with Quebec's judicial council.
The Centre for Research Action on Race Relations said it will provide her with support if she goes ahead with filing that complaint.
