An activist in Morocco has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after posting a photograph of herself carrying a shirt mocking the Islamic religion.
Feminist campaigner Ibtissame Lachgar, 50, was charged with "inflicting hurt to Islam" and obtained a £4,027 nice along with the jail sentence.
After Ms Lachgar's arrest final month, the Public Prosecutor's Workplace on the Rabat Courtroom of First Occasion within the North African nation mentioned: "Following a girl’s posting of a photograph on her social media account, which depicts her carrying a shirt with phrases offensive to the divine, together with a caption insulting Islam, the general public prosecutor ordered an investigation.
"Attributable to its urgency, the topic has been positioned beneath police custody in accordance with the regulation."
The 50-year-old activist posted a picture to social media displaying her smiling whereas carrying a t-shirt which learn "Allah is a lesbian".
Ms Lachgar wrote: "In Morocco, I stroll round with t-shirts bearing messages in opposition to religions, Islam, and many others.
"You tire us together with your sanctimoniousness, your accusations.
"Sure, Islam, like all spiritual ideology, is FASCIST. PHALLOCRATIC AND MISOGYNISTIC."
Below Moroccan regulation, people discovered responsible of inflicting "hurt" to Islam will be fined as much as £40,000 and face between six months and two years behind bars.
The outspoken feminist has beforehand organised a bunch of protests round points akin to male violence, girls's rights and the remedy of homosexual folks within the overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
Ms Lachgar's publish sparked outrage on social media, with the 50-year-old revealing how she obtained “hundreds of sexist insults, rape and loss of life threats, requires homicide, stoning" after importing the picture on July 31.
The activist quoted a number of the abuse she was subjected to, with one studying: “Her freedom is an insult to all Moroccans.
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“There may be nothing extra sacred to Moroccans than Allah, than Islam. This girl's place is behind bars."
The Moroccan court docket turned down a movement to launch to Ms Lachgar for well being causes because of the activist receiving ongoing medical remedy.
Her attorneys are within the technique of interesting the decision.
Ms Lachgar has beforehand obtained into hassle with the authorities on account of her staunch activism.
She was one of many co-founders of the "Mouvement Alternatif pour les Libertés Individuelles" (Mali), which advocates for particular person freedoms akin to abortion and same-sex rights.
In 2009, the Mali motion staged a daytime symbolic picnic through the month of Ramadan to protest Moroccan legal guidelines which punish anybody who breaks their quick through the day.
The now-50-year-old was one of many chief organisers of a "Kiss-In" in Rabat in 2013, which noticed protesters stage a mass kissing occasion in response to the arrest of three youngsters who posted a picture of themselves smooching on Fb.
After the Kiss-In, Ms Lachgar mentioned: "Our message is that they’re defending love, the liberty to like and kiss freely."
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