Feminist activist sent to prison for ‘Allah is lesbian’ T-shirt - Morocco

[IwantToRetire]

A feminist activist has been sent to prison for two-and-a-half years because of messages on a T-shirt she wore in a selfie posted online.

The shirt featured the word “Allah” in Arabic, followed by the words “is lesbian” in English.

Ibtissam Lachgar was charged with blasphemy and with disseminating the image online.

She was found guilty of violating part of Morocco’s criminal code that outlaws offending the monarchy or Islam, her lawyer, Naïma El Guellaf, said.

A member of Ms Lachgar’s legal team said they plan to appeal the conviction.

Article continues at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/morocco-islam-prison-ibtissam-lachgar-b2819995.html

That was something I picked out and commented on.

She knew she would offend people.

I see, OK. I was probs being too harsh- sorry.
There was an odd wave of posts at the start chastising her for protesting which got my back up.

No need to apologise.

I'm autistic so the way I type things doesn't always come across how I mean it to.

That's fine, I understand.

I have travelled solo to many Mslem countries (including Morocco, Egypt, Iran and Syria) and was always careful to obey the dress and cultural codes. As a non believer I am still interested in religion and in discussing it with people I meet, but always respectfully. Showing disrespect to the religion and government of an absolute country is never wise.

You've missed the point . She wasn't 'being unwise'.
She knew full well she would get arrested,

she is a native of Morocco and an activist, and she deliberately wore that T shirt to protest its free speech laws, as well, probably, its attitude to women and gay people.

Well you could try reading what I wrote.

Saying that Allah is a lesbian is meaningless, it's not a belief anyone has. It's something she said purely because she knew it would offend the blasphemy laws. I think that's a valid thing to do in order to get the courts to address what seem like unclear lines between their free speech laws and anti-blasphemy laws.

If she wanted to just make some kind of rational or theological argument about homosexuality and Islam that could be a reasonable thing to do too, though setting is important.

But just wearing a slogan you don't even believe yourself to deeply offend people, for no purpose other than to offend them? I don't think it matters if you disagree with their beliefs or not, that is being an ass.

Because it doesn't have a body nor a sex. It's like saying it's orange.

Out of interest, would you see 'God is a woman' T shirt as disrespectful. Imo it's the attributing any sexuality to a deity which is offensive.

I suspect many Moroccans would disagree.. But it's still important for there to be a right to say such things, even if unkind/upsetting to some etc

It's good that people are 'unwise' enough to disobey unjust laws. Otherwise the Southern US might still be segregated, we might still have apartheid in South Africa etc- I'm sure you yourself are aware of many examples.

Exactly. People call God 'He' often bc of the convention, and also (in Christianity) bc of the 'God The Father' and 'God the Son' elements of the Trinity, but they still don't mean God is literally male (tho ofc Jesus was). I can see people might think that, but that isn't what they mean.

A lot of those same people thought Dubai is a very immoral society in general, and I suspect that is part of the reason they were unsympathetic. Kind of, if you go vacation in a place like that, shit will happen.

It was also over-shadowed by the fact that the girls mother instigated the whole thing and she was not from Dubai, she lived in the UK (at least IIRC she did.)

I see what you mean. Tbf they were teens tho , maybe the parents chose the vacation place?

Also that's a good point about the mother. I doubt Dubai police go around searching for illicit couples having sex, someone has to report it obvs. I still disagree strongly, but I suspect a lot of couples have been able to evade the law, in this case it was the mother who was arguably more responsible for the prison sentence.

I’m torn.
Her sentence is ridiculous. The regime oppressive. I have become fussy about where I holiday, and somewhere I’d be arrested for things I can’t control would be off the list. (I realise she wasn’t on holiday).

CLAW comes into it though.

What's CLAW?

Why is her sentence necessarily ridiculous? As I said upthread, some liberal Muslim women do call God She and Her.
Attributing a sexuality is a bigger jump ofc, esp as unlike Christianity Allah never became incarnate according to scriptures. (People who think Jesus was secretly married to Mary Magdalene as per Dan Brown are ridiculous, but Jesus was at least a flesh and blood person so they have a little more backing).

Otoh, why should the sentence being, in your opinion, ridiculous, have any relevance? Free speech should include to right to be ridiculous.

Anyway, I very much doubt she literally believes that. The sentence is much more likely to have been crafted as a challenge to the blasphemy laws & a symbolic criticism of Islam & Morocco's attitude to women and lgb people.

@AMansAManForAllThat, The whole point was that she was arrested for something she could control : what she wrote and wore. She made a deliberate protest, bravely, knowing the consequences.

As a citizen of Morocco, she understandably wants to challenge the laws, not just avoid them.

I don't really know why you're making comments about holidays, it's quite irrelevant to this case.

Hard agree. And she has cancer and is being denied treatment. For shame!

Oof fafo

Pardon?

Laws of the country you are in? Obey those, especially somewhere a bit erm "rigid"

Do you apply this grand reasoning to Afghan women too?

Reading comprehension seems to be falling on MN judging by this thread...

Do you generally struggle with reading comprehension or were you just too excited to see a young woman in trouble?

@AliasGrace47 you misunderstand me- the prison sentence was ridiculous.

CLAW- Conspicuously Law Abiding Women. I can’t remember who coined the phrase.
It’s a contrast with the TRA’s who mask their faces and break laws with their aggressive protests. Feminists tend to be rather more polite and measured, not withstanding their passion.

And my comment about holidays was to do with withholding support from regimes which oppress women as well as self protection. I was uneasy when DH was sent to Qatar on business- it seemed wrong. I suppose I internally sanction places where there are significant civil rights issues.

If I’ve misunderstood anything, I apologise- I have a brain like a soggy old bath sponge these days. Coherent thoughts give up and leave home halfway through a sentence.