Woman jailed for wearing ‘Allah is a lesbian’ T-shirt faces arm amputation
Ibtissame Lachgar was jailed over the t-shirt (@IbtissameBetty)
A woman who was handed a prison sentence for wearing a T-shirt that read ‘Allah is a lesbian’ is now facing her arm being amputated in jail, amid declining health.
Ibtissame Lachgar, a feminist activist who campaigns on women’s and LGBTQ+ issues, was arrested in August 2025 and subsequently handed a two-and-half year prison term over the T-shirt, which was judged by the authorities to be offensive to Islam.
In a post shared on social media on 31 July 2025, Lachgar is pictured wearing the garment and 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 condemnation and threats towards the activist, with Lachgar later writing on her Facebook page she faced “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”.
Lachgar is one of a just a few openly atheist public figures in Morocco, a country which has blasphemy laws that criminalise any criticism of Islam, with penalties including terms of imprisonment.
The 50-year-old bone cancer survivor is being held in Salé prison, on the outskirts of Rabat, and as per reporting by the Daily Mail has sustained a fractured elbow during her time in jail.
According to the report, Lachgar has a prothesis between her left shoulder and elbow and her family and lawyers have warned without urgent medical treatment the injury could result in her arm being amputated.
“The decline in Ibtissame Lachgar’s health is alarming,” one of her lawyers, Ghizlane Mamouni, is quoted as saying.
“Her prosthesis has completely dislodged and she’s only being treated with paracetamol for that and the fractured elbow she has sustained during her detention, despite urgently requiring complex surgery.”
Chirinne Ardakani, the activist’s other lawyer, said: “For six months, in blatant violation of international law, Betty has been arbitrarily detained, subjected to inhumane and degrading conditions of detention and deprived of medical care, solely for expressing her freedom of expression and opinion.”
Ardakani added the 50-year-old is “being repressed as much for who she is – a woman, independent and committed to women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights – as for her beliefs.”
Lachgar’s sister, Siham, said her sibling’s “health is seriously at risk” and the situation is “extremely worrying” for their family.
“This is extremely worrying for her and for our family. She needs very specialist care in France, and without it the consequences could be catastrophic,” she said.
“This punishment isn’t about her actions, but about what she stands for. It shows that, even today, you can be jailed simply for thinking differently.
“Every day she remains behind bars is another injustice to her, and another nail in the coffin of freedom.”
Previously, the National Secular Society (NSS) called for Lachgar’s release.
Head of campaigns, Megan Manson, said at the time of her arrest: “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.”
