Moroccan LGBTQ+ Activist Sparks Outrage with Provocative Anti-Religion T-Shirt

"Allah is a lesbian". This is the phrase written on the t-shirt worn by Ibtissame Lachgar. Enough to provoke a wave of outrage and strong reactions on social media in Morocco. For some, this publication is "an offense to the sacred and an incitement to hatred". Others see it as a challenge to what they describe as "obscurantism", as well as a defense of freedom of expression. While some Moroccan internet users think that the criticism of religions is a legitimate right in any democratic system, others have warned against the consequences of directly provoking religious beliefs.

On a legal level, Lachgar could be prosecuted on the basis of Article 262 of the Penal Code, which punishes attacks on religious symbols, even if no explicit text incriminates the criticism of religion, according to observers. In the wake of this, the activist makes a comment to drive the point home. "In Morocco, I walk around with t-shirts with messages against religions, Islam, etc. We make collages with @MALImaroc You tire us with your pieties, your accusations. Yes, Islam, like any religious ideology, is FASCIST. PHALLOCRATIC AND MISOGYNISTIC," she fumes.