An activist in Morocco has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after posting a photo of herself wearing a shirt mocking the Islamic faith.
Feminist campaigner Ibtissame Lachgar, 50, was charged with “causing harm to Islam” and received a £4,027 fine in addition to the prison sentence.
After Ms Lachgar’s arrest last month, the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Rabat Court of First Instance in the North African country said: “Following a woman’s posting of a photo on her social media account, which depicts her wearing a shirt with phrases offensive to the divine, along with a caption insulting Islam, the public prosecutor ordered an investigation.
“Due to its urgency, the subject has been placed under police custody in accordance with the law.”
Rabat’s Public Prosecutor’s Office (pictured) said Ms Lachgar had been placed under police custody due to the ‘urgency’ of the case
|
GETTY
The 50-year-old activist posted an image to social media showing her smiling while wearing a t-shirt which read “Allah is a lesbian”.
Ms Lachgar wrote: “In Morocco, I walk around with t-shirts bearing messages against religions, Islam, etc.
“You tire us with your sanctimoniousness, your accusations.
“Yes, Islam, like any religious ideology, is FASCIST. PHALLOCRATIC AND MISOGYNISTIC.”
The 50-year-old activist posted an image to social media showing her wearing a t-shirt which read ‘Allah is a lesbian’
Under Moroccan law, individuals found guilty of causing “harm” to Islam can be fined up to £40,000 and face between six months and two years behind bars.
The outspoken feminist has previously organised a host of protests around issues such as male violence, women’s rights and the treatment of gay people in the overwhelmingly Muslim country.
Ms Lachgar’s post sparked outrage on social media, with the 50-year-old revealing how she received “thousands of sexist insults, rape and death threats, calls for murder, stoning” after uploading the image on July 31.
The activist quoted some of the abuse she was subjected to, with one reading: “Her freedom is an insult to all Moroccans.
FREE-SPEECH CRACKDOWNS – READ MORE:
Under Moroccan law, individuals found guilty of causing ‘harm’ to Islam can be fined up to £40,000
|
GETTY
“There is nothing more sacred to Moroccans than Allah, than Islam. This woman’s place is behind bars.”
The Moroccan court turned down a motion to release to Ms Lachgar for health reasons due to the activist receiving ongoing medical treatment.
Her lawyers are in the process of appealing the verdict.
Ms Lachgar has previously got into trouble with the authorities as a result of her staunch activism.
She was one of the co-founders of the “Mouvement Alternatif pour les Libertés Individuelles” (Mali), which advocates for individual freedoms such as abortion and same-sex rights.
In 2009, the Mali movement staged a daytime symbolic picnic during the month of Ramadan to protest Moroccan laws which punish anyone who breaks their fast during the day.
The now-50-year-old was one of the chief organisers of a “Kiss-In” in Rabat in 2013, which saw protesters stage a mass kissing event in response to the arrest of three teenagers who posted an image of themselves smooching on Facebook.
After the Kiss-In, Ms Lachgar said: “Our message is that they are defending love, the freedom to love and kiss freely.”
