Moroccan activist sentenced to 30 months in jail over T‑shirt reading 'Allah is a lesbian'

A Moroccan court on Tuesday sentenced feminist activist Ibtissame Lachgar to 30 months in prison and ordered her to pay a fine of about £4,027 after finding her guilty of "causing harm to Islam" for posting a photo of herself wearing a T‑shirt bearing the words "Allah is a lesbian."

The Public Prosecutor's Office at the Rabat Court of First Instance said it opened an investigation after Lachgar posted the photo on her social media account with a caption it described as "insulting Islam," and that, "Due to its urgency, the subject has been placed under police custody in accordance with the law." She posted the image on July 31, according to her social posts and court statements.

Lachgar, a developmental psychologist who co‑founded the Mouvement alternatif pour les libertés individuelles (MALI), has been a vocal campaigner for women's rights, LGBTQ+ issues and secularism in Morocco. In the post that prompted the prosecution she wrote that in Morocco she wears T‑shirts carrying messages critical of religion and described Islam as "fascist, phallocratic and misogynistic." The post drew immediate online backlash, and Lachgar has posted that she received thousands of abusive messages and threats, including calls for rape, death and stoning.

Her legal team said they are appealing the sentence. A court had previously denied a request to release Lachgar on medical grounds; her lawyers said she was receiving ongoing medical treatment.

Moroccan law includes provisions that restrict expression deemed critical of Islam, the monarchy or territorial integrity. A 2002 law cited by rights observers criminalises speech the state views as an attack on Islam; penalties for acts judged to "cause harm" to Islam have been interpreted to include prison sentences and fines. Separate provisions also penalise actions described as incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert a Muslim to another religion.

Human rights groups and press freedom advocates have previously highlighted cases in Morocco in which journalists and activists were penalised on similar grounds. In 2007, two journalists received suspended prison sentences and fines after publishing an article containing religious jokes; authorities accused them of "defaming Islam and damaging morality." Lachgar has been a prominent organiser of public protests that challenged conservative social norms, including a 2013 "kiss‑in" in Rabat in support of teenagers detained over a photograph posted on social media, and a 2012 effort to invite the Netherlands‑based Women on Waves abortion advocacy boat as a symbolic protest against Morocco's abortion laws.

The court's ruling and the online campaign against Lachgar underscore ongoing tensions in Morocco between authorities' enforcement of laws protecting religion and activists who press for expanded civil liberties and secular reforms. The sentencing comes amid continued debate within the country over the limits of free expression, the role of religion in public life and protections for dissenting voices.

Lachgar remains in custody as her legal team pursues an appeal. The prosecutor's office statement identified the social media post as the trigger for the investigation but did not provide further details about the charges beyond the finding that her actions caused harm to Islam.

Coverage of the case has included both condemnation and support across Moroccan and international social media, reflecting a polarized public response. The long‑running legislative framework and past prosecutions show the judiciary has periodically enforced restrictions on speech touching on religion, making this case part of a broader pattern of legal actions that critics of the laws say restrict freedom of expression in Morocco.