Ibtissam Lachgar
| Ibtissam Lachgar | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 1975 (age 43) Rabat, Morocco |
| Residence | Rabat, Morocco |
| Nationality | Moroccan |
| Occupation | Doctor |
| Known for | Individual liberties activism, co-founder of the MALI Movement |
| Home town | Rabat |
Ibtissam Betty Lachgar (Arabic: ابتسام لشكر) (born in August, 1975) is a Moroccan feminist, human rights activist, and LGBT advocate. She's the co-founder of the MALI Movement (Mouvement alternatif pour les libertés individuelles). She is one of the few openly atheist Moroccans.
Early life and education
Born in August 1975, Ibtissam Lachgar studied in Lycée Descartes in the Moroccan capital Rabat, before moving to Paris to study clinical psychology, criminology and victimology. She is currently working on her thesis in psychoanalysis, in Paris.
Activism
In 2009, along with her friend Zineb El Rhazoui, she co-founded the Mouvement alternatif pour les libertés individuelles (MALI), a movement to defend individual freedoms in Morocco.[1] She is also very vocal about the LGBT community in Morocco, and is pro-choice and pro gay marriage.[2]
2009 Ramadan Picnic
Ibtissam, along with her friends in the Mali Movement organized a picnic during the day of Ramadan, in 2010, as a protest against the 222 article of the Moroccan penal code that punishes those who break the Islamic holy month’s mandatory daytime fast. The picnickers planned to meet on September the 13th halfway between Casablanca and the capital city of Rabat. But as they arrived to the train station, they were instantly accosted by a crowd of police officers and many journalists who knew about the event on Facebook. The weekly magazine TelQuel, published an editorial calling the fierce reaction a sign Morocco has lost its culture of tolerance. “In one generation our country has radically transformed,” it said. “It’s scary.”[3][4] The picnic caused public outrage within the Moroccan society and opened debate about religious freedoms in the country.[5]
Kiss-in in Rabat
Ibtissam was also one of the organizers of the public kiss-in that took place in October 12, 2013, to support three teenagers arrested for posting a picture of themselves kissing on Facebook. The protesters were confronted by onlookers as they kissed and chanted "Long live love". The kissing case has sparked uproar online, with citizens protesting against what they see as creeping conservatism in the Muslim country long known for being relatively liberal and tolerant. In an interview with France 24 about the kiss-in, she said: “For us, the message got through. It was a success. There were couples and single people, and the couples were not embarrassed in public. Our message is that they are defending love, the freedom to love and kiss freely” [6]
Personal life
Ibtissam lives with her boyfriend in Rabat.[7] She is also an atheist.
References
- ↑ Leïla Slimani (16 December 2010). "Ibtissam Lachgar". Jeune Afrique.
- ↑ Lemag, Adam Sfali -. "France : Une marocaine a manifesté nue pour défendre le droit au mariage homosexuel". lemag.ma.
- ↑ "Where a picnic is against the law". globalpost.com. 20 October 2009.
- ↑ Bangré, Habibou. "Zineb El Rhazoui : " Nous ne défendons pas que la liberté de "dé-jeûner" "". afrik.com.
- ↑ "Au Maghreb, les têtes brûlées de la laïcité". Le Monde (in French). 2010-06-07. ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ↑ "Moroccans stage 'kiss-in' in support of arrested teens - France 24". France 24. 13 October 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ↑ Jalal Al Makhfi (14 February 2014). "In Morocco, unmarried couples brave taboo". The Daily Star (Lebanon). Retrieved 2016-06-03.