Lebanese Islamic authorities file ‘blasphemy’ charges against comedian for prayers skit
LGBTQ rights activist Shaden Fakih accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad’s ‘divine glory’ in sketch; rights groups blast move against comic previously probed over jokes about military
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Islamic religious authorities on Friday filed criminal complaints against a stand-up comedian and LGBTQ rights activist after a sketch of hers about Muslim Friday prayers sparked controversy online.
Openly gay Lebanese comedian Shaden Fakih has amassed a large online following for her jabs at religious authorities and the sectarian factions that have long dominated the country’s politics.
But her sometimes crude jokes have also angered many Lebanese, despite the country’s reputation as one of the Arab world’s most tolerant societies.
On Friday, the country’s Supreme Islamic Shiite Council filed a criminal complaint against Fakih for “the crimes of blasphemy, insulting religious rituals and stirring sectarian… strife,” Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.
Islamist lawmaker Imad Hout also filed a complaint against her, NNA said.
Lebanese Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian had on Thursday ordered Dar al-Fatwa — the country’s top Sunni religious authority — to file a complaint against Fakih for “insult and blasphemy against the divine glory and Prophet Muhammad.”
Dar al-Fatwa also accused her of “inciting religious and sectarian strife” and “undermining national unity,” NNA said.
A judicial source told AFP the judiciary had not yet looked into the complaints against Fakih because the relevant judge was still abroad.
Rights activists expressed outrage that Fakih was being threatened with prosecution for simply expressing her opinions.
“The idea that someone could be arrested… harassed and subjected to death threats just for expressing views that may contradict certain societal norms… is unacceptable,” said Jad Shahrour of Beirut’s Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom.
Religious authorities’ prosecution of comics is not new in Lebanon, despite the country’s reputation for tolerance.
In August, days after he had been detained for poking fun at Lebanon’s military, Lebanese comedian Nour Hajjar was briefly arrested for a 2018 joke about his parents’ religious observance.
Fakih herself had in 2021 been summoned by a military court on charges of “insulting” Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces and “harming” their reputation.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
