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

What's so awful about it? It's hardly as bad as the infamous Muhammad cartoons various papers have done. Saying Allah has a sexuality, let alone a gay female sexuality, doesn't seem bad or insulting as those were. though ofc many Muslims would be v offended.

You seem to have completely missed the point. She's an activist & a native Moroccan, deliberately challenging the blasphemy laws there.

Do YOU agree w blasphemy laws? And the right to offend? It may not be kind or nice, but people should be allowed to offend. Offence is subjective, moreover.

It's hardly as bad as the infamous Muhammad cartoons various papers have done.

What is so bad about a cartoon?

It's doesn't surprise me to see feminists being absolutely outraged and triggered for the fact they're starting to see opposing comments or posts that sometimes challenge their opinion. After all, we live in society where free speech should be valued. If youre opinion or views regarding any topic are sound, logical and well thought through, why would you be disappointed to see opposing views that you could easily counter and make a point of explaining how it's wrong?

I would say they were more critical of Islam in a serious way.

Allah is a lesbian is similar to saying something like "Jesus likes to wank in the toilet". Kind of offensive, but it's just not that meaningful, it's a poopy-bum-face level of comment.

The cartoons the pp was referring to were pointedly critical of real elements of Muslim thought and religion.

some gender critical people feel that way because they're religious and/or culturally conservative.

How can you be religious and/or culturally conservative and gender critical? They are pretty opposing positions!

So? I am not a Muslim. Why should I not be able to be critical of Muslim thought and religion? If you say ‘this aspect upsets Muslims because it goes against their faith so you must not do it’ how long before we are living in a state like Iran or Afghanistan where women are being left to die in rubble from a recent earthquake because men think it is offensive to touch them?

You are able, I don't think there is a country on earth where you aren't able to do that, just don't be surprised and then sit there whining about the consequences that come down down on you for exercising that ability.

After all it's not your culture that impose those rules. Most people in these cultures actually support the ideologies behind them so find it particularly offensive when you, who aren't from there, think it's your god given right to just wonder over there and outright insult a whole population

You are not free to do something if you are imprisoned or killed when you do so. Don’t talk nonsense!

You really think the women of Afghanistan support leaving other women to die in the rubble? And do so of their own free will as they voluntarily sit inside in silence with only one eye to see through? The threat of death for disobeying isn’t the reason?

I guess you would have been for appeasing Hitler and the Nazis too.

Well say what you mean then. You said 'able', which you able to anywhere.

Being free to do something is a bit different. Nobody is free to do whatever they want without consequences, nor should they be.

But if you're arguing that someone should be free to go into someone else's country and brake the laws that they have determined to be appropriate then no, I'm afraid I don't agree with such a narcissistic, spoilt brat attitude. GO TO JAIL! 👉

Did you nmiss the little teeeeeen tiiiiiiiny point that the woman is in her own country?

I don't know how that's relevant, however, most certainly, yes. The overwhelming majority of German citizens supported the Nazi party in its time. Were you a German citizen at that point in time then the likelyhood that you would have also supported them happens to be very high.

No I didn't miss that, hence my statement earlier in the thread to that very point....

If you value free speech, why are you apparently defending the blasphemy law?

Yes that is my point. But you think we should have appeased them for that reason?

One of the Danish ones had Muhammad w a bomb for a turban! Besides, Islam is against ANY depiction of Muhammad, even a polite one.

I support them, BTW.

They're gender critical in the sense that they think that gendered behaviours are linked to biological sex, but masculine women and feminine men are still women and men reslectflively, bc biological sex is how you ultimately determine sex.

Whereas GC feminists normally see gendered behaviours as socially contracted, ar least to some extent.

No she definitely should not be in prison
But some countries actually have rules that your expected to follow if you visit
Even in UK that would cause offence,not enough for a prison sentence at the moment,but who knows the way starmer is going
Sometimes you have to read the room , before doing stupid shit

Why is it offensive??
Well to you and me it's not ..
But to certain religions it definitely will be offensive,and cause hurt and upset .
Again ,why ,do we need to hurt and upset each other
She should not be in prison
But equally she she not choose to wear inflammatory suggestions on t shirts ,in a country that will take offence

It's not necessarily, though I agree the sexuality-God link seems to be taking the mickey a bit.

Otoh attempts to depict God as a feminine figure are often more serious in intent, not just 'want in toilet' level. I'm reminded of the artist Harmonia Rosales' homage to The Creation of Adam with God as a black woman. (This isn't a new idea, the 1980s black feminist activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes said her mother had a similar poster on her wall, apparently partly as a gesture of rebellion against the v male-dominant leadership of her church.)

https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmon/god-is-a-black-woman

It's her country : she did it to challenge the blasphemy laws. She is a native Morpccan and feminist activist.

Why Can't you bother to read the post properly?

It's not about 'reading the room' :she wants there to be a right to offend & no blasphemy restriction on free speech. So she's sacrificing her freedom to protest.

Would you tell the Freedom Riders in the Deep South : read the room? Or Gandhi on his salt marches? Free speech is a crucial right.

If Starmer does lose his mind and do something similar w free speech laws, we should protest. If we were all ad submissive as you seem to be, goodness knows what would happen.

A very inspiring woman. How about a bit more 'I applaud her courage' and less 'put up, shut up, and don't offend Islam'. On the feminist board, no less!

What's that about her having cancer? If so, she's even braver, and I hope can get treatment.

Do YOU believe that free speech is important? Can't you see that has to include offensive stuff to different groups, or it's meaningless?

You're the stupid one. She is an activist making a deliberate protest, knowing very well the consequences.

Why do you keep talking about people visiting the country being rude, then, when that isn't the situation?