US EditionMoroccan feminist and LGBTQ activist sentenced to prison in blasphemy case
- On September 3, 2025, a court in Rabat handed down a 30-month prison term and a $5,500 fine to Ibtissame Lachgar, a Moroccan women’s rights campaigner, for charges related to offending Islam.
- The conviction follows her arrest last month after posting an online photo wearing a T-shirt stating "Allah is lesbian," which triggered blasphemy charges under Morocco's criminal code.
- Lachgar argued the T-shirt bore a feminist political message unrelated to Islam, described it as a longstanding slogan against sexism, and insisted she meant no offense during the trial.
- Human rights groups criticized the sentence; Hakim Sikouk called it a "shocking" "attack" on freedom of expression, while Lachgar's lawyers confirmed plans to appeal citing constitutional rights.
- The case has intensified debates on freedom of expression in Morocco and highlighted tensions between constitutional protections and their practical enforcement.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Activist’s blasphemy trial fuels debate on freedoms in Morocco
A Moroccan feminist battling cancer has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for blasphemy, a ruling that has ignited outrage over free speech in the North African Kingdom. On Wednesday evening, a court in Rabat convicted Ibtissame (Betty) Lachgar, 50, of "offending Islam" after she posted a photo on social media wearing a T-shirt that read "Allah is lesbian." She was fined 50,000 dirhams (about $5,100) in addition to the prison ter…
"Offensive to Islam": so the Rabat court justified the decision to condemn the feminist Ibtissame 'Betty...
Activist Calling Allah “Lesbian” Sentenced to Two and Half Years Prison
A Moroccan court on Wednesday, September 3rd, sentenced feminist and LGBT rights activist Ibtissame Lachgar to two and a half years in prison, accusing her of “attacking the Islamic religion” after she posted a photo on social media wearing a T-shirt with a message deemed “offensive to God.” The Rabat Court of First Instance also ordered Lachgar to pay a fine of nearly 50,000 dirhams (about €4,700). The controversy began when Lachgar posted a ph…
FFRF urges global action for Moroccan activist given 30 months for ‘blasphemous’ T-shirt
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is sounding the alarm after a Moroccan feminist and human rights activist was outrageously sentenced to 30 months in prison for wearing a T-shirt. Ibtissame “Betty” Lachgar, an atheist psychologist and co-founder of the Mouvement Alternatif pour les Libertés Individuelles (MALI), was arrested for posting a photo of herself wearing a T-shirt reading “Allah is lesbian.” She was put on trial for “insulting Islam…
The activist had published on social media a picture of her wearing a T-shirt on which it is written "Allah is lesbian." She will appeal the judgment.
The Advocate
Out MagazineMoroccan court sentences activist to prison for T-shirt reading Allah 'is lesbian'
Morocco authorities sentenced a feminist activist to 30 months in prison for wearing a shirt declaring Allah “is lesbian.”The Rabat Primary Court on Wednesday issued the sentence to Ibtissame “Betty” Lachgar, cofounder of the MALI movement, and fined her 50,000 Moroccan dirham, or about $5,000 U.S. dollars, according to Morocco World News. Judges found her guilty of violating the nation’s anti-blasphemy laws.Lachgar was arrested on August 10, ab…
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