Moroccan court jails feminist over ‘Allah is Lesbian’ T-shirt

A Moroccan feminist activist, Ibtissame Lachgar, has been slammed with a 30-month prison sentence for “offending Islam” after she posted a controversial picture online.

The 50-year-old clinical psychologist, well-known for her outspoken rights campaigns, was arrested last month after uploading an image of herself in a T-shirt with the words “Allah” in Arabic followed by “is lesbian.”

On Wednesday, a court in Rabat convicted her and imposed a fine of 50,000 dirhams ($5,500). Her lawyer, Mohamed Khattab, confirmed the verdict but vowed to appeal.

Tears flowed outside the courtroom as family and friends broke down upon hearing the judgment, an AFP correspondent reported.

Rights groups immediately denounced the ruling. Hakim Sikouk, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, described it as “shocking” and an “attack on freedom of expression.”

Lachgar, defending herself at an earlier hearing, insisted the phrase was a feminist slogan “which has existed for years against sexist ideologies and violence against women… and has no connection to the Islamic faith.”