Activist who wore 'Allah is lesbian' T-shirt arrested and threatened with stoning online
A prominent Moroccan activist has been arrested and threatened online with stoning after wearing a T-shirt reading 'Allah is a Lesbian'.
Listen to this article
Ibtissame Lachgar has been accused of causing offence to Islam after posting a picture of her wearing the controversial t-shirt online, sparking a huge backlash.
She wrote in an accompanying caption on X: "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 Public Prosecutor's Office at the Rabat Court of First Instance in Morocco said she was taken into police custody on Sunday as officials investigate the post.
"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.
Read more: Three teens arrested on suspicion of murder after man dies in 'altercation' on the Isle of Sheppey
"Due to its urgency, the subject has been placed under police custody in accordance with the law," it said in a statement.
She could face six months to two years in prison and large fines if convicted - the typical punishment for an offence perceived to be against the Islamic religion in Morocco.
In a Facebook post, Ms Lachgar alleged to have been the victim of cyberbullying for several days.
She said she received "thousands of rape and death threats, calls for lynching and stoning" for the T-shirt "with a well-known (diverted) feminist slogan."
Lachgar is a prominent activist in Morocco and has organised multiple fighting for women's rights, LGBTQ+ issues and against male violence.
She is a co-founder of the Mouvement alternatif pour les libertés individuelles (MALI), a campaign group fighting for civil liberties including the right for abortion and same-sex marriage.