TORONTO, Canada: A young Saudi woman who caused an international sensation as she sought asylum abroad arrived in Toronto on Saturday where she was welcomed with open arms.
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland greeted Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, after she landed in Toronto, wearing a blue ball cap and a gray hoodie emblazoned in red with the word "CANADA."
She posed for photographers with Freeland at her side, but made no statement.
"She had a pretty long journey and is exhausted and prefers not to take questions for the moment," Freeland said.
The 18-year-old’s fight against deportation from Thailand as she tried to claim asylum captivated a global audience through her Twitter account, which now has nearly 150,000 followers.A number of countries had expressed interest in resettling al-Qunun, including Australia, which was her first choice – but it was Canada that acted quickly.
“That is something that we are pleased to do because Canada is a country that understands how important it is to stand up for human rights, to stand up for women’s rights around the world,” the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, told reporters on Friday.
The head of Canada’s United Nations refugee office, Jean-Nicolas Beuze, tweeted his thanks to the country for “having acted swiftly in providing a long-term solution”.
“Women refugees at risk because of their gender are prioritised for resettlement & we know they can count on Canada,” he wrote.
Trudeau downplayed the symbolism of Canada’s offer to resettle the young women; Canada and Saudi Arabia have been at odds over the past year over the conservative kingdom’s human rights record.
Last summer, a tweet in Arabic, sent by Global Affairs Canada, set off a diplomatic row between the two nations, in which Canadian diplomats were expelled from the kingdom, Saudi students in Canada were recalled and the Saudi government sold numerous Canadian equities and currency holdings.
