Feminist campaigner arrested in Morocco for wearing ‘Allah is lesbian’ t-shirt
Ibtissame Lachgar has reportedly been arrested for the t-shirt (@IbtissameBetty)
Ibtissame Lachgar has reportedly been arrested for the t-shirt (@IbtissameBetty)
Authorities in Morocco have reportedly arrested a prominent feminist and human rights activist for wearing a t-shirt bearing the slogan “Allah is lesbian.”
Ibtissame Lachgar, a developmental psychologist who campaigns on women’s and LGBTQ+ issues, was detained on Sunday (10 August), according to a statement issued by the Rabat Court of First Instance.
In a post on X/Twitter on 31 July in which she is seen wearing the t-shirt, 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 post prompted a furious backlash online, with Lachgar writing on her Facebook page on Sunday that she had received three days of “cyber bullying, thousands of threats of rape [and] death, calls for lynching and stoning”, over a “t-shirt with a well-known (hijacked) feminist slogan”.
Au Maroc je me balade avec des t-shirts avec des messages contre les religions, l'islam etc. On fait des collages avec @MALImaroc
— I. Betty Lachgar ♀️🔥 (@IbtissameBetty) July 31, 2025
Vous nous fatiguez avec vos bondieuseries, vos accusations. Oui l'islam, comme toute idéoligie religieuse, est FASCISTE. PHALLOCRATE ET MISOGYNE. pic.twitter.com/o7H91acDwo
A statement attributed to the Public Prosecutor’s Office reads: “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.”
Morocco has blasphemy laws which criminalise any criticism of Islam, with penalties including terms of imprisonment.
The National Secular Society (NSS) has called for Lachgar’s immediate release. Head of campaigns Megan Manson said: “Blasphemy laws have no place anywhere. Freedom of expression must include freedom to criticise religion, even when that means offending religious sentiments.
“We call for Lachgar to be released without charge and for Morocco to put an end to its draconian blasphemy laws.”
According to the NSS, Lachgar is scheduled to speak at FiLiA2025, a feminist conference in Brighton in October.
FiLiA chief executive Lisa Marie Taylor also called for Lachgar’s quick release, telling the NSS: “We are proud to platform women who speak truth to power, including those who challenge and criticise religion, because this is, fundamentally, a feminist issue.
“Silencing women for ‘blasphemy’ is a violation of their human rights and an attack on women’s freedom to think, speak and live without fear”.
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