TL;DR
- Moroccan feminist Ibtissame Lachgar arrested for “Allah is lesbian” t-shirt.
- Facing charges under Morocco’s strict blasphemy laws.
- Online backlash included threats of rape, death, and stoning.
- Global rights groups demand her immediate release.
- Case reignites debate over religion, feminism, and LGBTQ expression in Muslim-majority countries.
Morocco Busts Feminist Over Tee
In Morocco, you can wear your heart on your sleeve — but if that sleeve says “Allah is lesbian,” you might just end up in jail.
Prominent feminist and human rights firebrand Ibtissame Lachgar, a developmental psychologist and unapologetic campaigner for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, was thrown into police custody after rocking a t-shirt with the incendiary slogan. Her “crime”? Daring to challenge Morocco’s blasphemy laws, which make criticizing Islam a criminal offense — and can land you in prison.
Lachgar had posted a photo of herself on July 31 in the now-infamous tee, alongside a caption that ripped into religious dogma. “In Morocco, I walk around with t-shirts bearing messages against religions, Islam, etc. You tire us with your sanctimoniousness, your accusations,” she wrote, calling Islam “fascist, phallocratic and misogynistic.” That unapologetic stance sent conservative social media into a meltdown.
By Sunday, her Facebook page was flooded with thousands of threats — rape, death, lynching, even stoning — all over what she says was a hijacked feminist slogan meant to challenge patriarchal control of religion. In the government’s eyes, it was “phrases offensive to the divine” coupled with an “insult to Islam,” and prosecutors wasted no time in launching an “urgent” investigation.
The Global Outcry
Human rights advocates aren’t buying Morocco’s “divine dignity” defense. The UK-based National Secular Society called for Lachgar’s immediate release, blasting blasphemy laws as “draconian” and incompatible with basic freedoms. “Freedom of expression must include freedom to criticise religion, even when that means offending religious sentiments,” said NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson.
Lachgar’s supporters point out that her arrest is part of a larger crackdown on dissent in the region, particularly targeting women and queer voices. “Silencing women for ‘blasphemy’ is a violation of their human rights,” said FiLiA chief executive Lisa Marie Taylor, whose organization plans to host Lachgar as a speaker in October.
For Morocco’s LGBTQ citizens — already forced to live in the shadows by laws criminalizing same-sex relationships — Lachgar’s arrest is a chilling reminder: religious orthodoxy can be weaponized to crush not just queer identities, but anyone who dares challenge patriarchal power.
Her defiance, however, is also a rallying cry. The shirt wasn’t just about blasphemy — it was about visibility. It was about saying queer women exist, even in the places that try hardest to erase them. If Morocco wanted to silence her, it may have just amplified her message to the rest of the world.