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.
51 Articles
51 Articles
"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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