Court confirms sentence for Moroccan feminist over blasphemy

On 6th October, a Moroccan court confirmed the 30-month sentence for feminist Ibtissame Lachgar over blasphemy charges, according to The New Arab via AFP on October 7th.

In August, Ibtissame Lachgar was arrested for posting a picture online with a t-shirt that read “Allah” in Arabic, followed by “is lesbian”, which received public backlash. The post was captioned “In Morocco, I walk around with t-shirts with messages against religions, Islam, etc.”

Lachgar, who is a clinical psychologist, is known for her activism in Morocco and was initially sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $5,500.

Ghizlane Mamouni, one of her lawyers, stated that her legal team has appealed the sentence again to the high court. She added that the defence team is set to request that the sentence be modified to an “alternate penalty”. As set out in Moroccan law, the penalties can include house arrest or public service.

Previously, Lachgar’s lawyers had requested her release on medical grounds, stating that she needed to receive treatment for her cancer. Her lawyers said that Lachgar needed “critical surgery on her left arm” and that her doctors “warned of amputation if the surgery is not carried out.”

Lachgar’s post also said that Islam was “like any religious ideology… fascist, phallocratic and misogynistic”, which triggered many to call for her arrest.

On 6th October, Lachgar appealed to the judge that her t-shirt had nothing to do with Islam and was a feminist slogan.

Under Moroccan Law, anyone who offends the Islamic religion can be sentenced to up to two years in prison. It can also be increased by five years if the offence is committed in public, “including by electronic means.”

The prosecution requested that the conviction stand, and her sentence be increased, stating that the post threatens public order and the “spiritual well-being of Moroccans”. 

The New Arab via AFP, Maghrebi.org