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Middle East Eye
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Turkish magazine condemned for allegedly depicting caricatures of Prophet Muhammad
A Turkish satirical magazine has sparked backlash across the country this week after publishing a controversial cartoon that many have interpreted as depicting the prophets Muhammad and Moses. In its 26 June issue, Leman Magazine published an illustration showing two angelic figures hovering above a bombed city, presumably over Gaza. One figure says, 'Salamun Aleykum,' while the other replies, 'Aleyhem Shalom.' Social media users and commentators widely identified the figures as representations of Muhammad and Musa (Moses), prompting widespread outrage across the country. Many public and government figures, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemned the magazine, saying, 'This is an open provocation hidden under the guise of humour. It is a heinous provocation.' An investigation was launched into the magazine for "publicly insulting religious values", and the editor-in-chief, the manager, the cartoonist, and the director of drawings were detained. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X that police had detained the cartoonist behind the controversial image, along with Leman Magazine's graphic designer. 'The person named DP who made this vile drawing has been caught and taken into custody,' he said, adding: 'These shameless individuals will be held accountable before the law.' In his tweet, Yerlikaya also shared a video of the moment when the cartoonist was violently detained. The magazine has denied that it was a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, as stated in a lengthy thread shared on its social media account. Parts of the thread read, 'More than 200 million people in the Islamic world are named Muhammad. The artwork contains no direct reference to the Prophet Muhammad. The cartoonist intended to portray a Muslim individual killed by Israel, aiming to highlight the just cause of the oppressed Muslim population. There was absolutely no intention to insult or demean religious values. We reject the accusation directed at us, as there is no depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in the illustration.' The magazine's editor-in-chief, Tuncay Akgun, told AFP by phone from Paris that the image had been deliberately misinterpreted and was "not a caricature of Prophet Mohammed". "We would never take such a risk," he added. Some people are defending the cartoon, saying it should be only a crime to depict the prophet in an Islamic state, and Turkey is a secular state. Zaman dik durma zamanı, 19 Mart ne kadar niyetli ve organize ise bu işler de o kadar organize, hesaplı ve yapay. Türkiye'de kimsenin dine hakaret derdi yok, birileri sineğin yağından çıkarıp darbeye dayanak etmek istiyor. Dini kisvede siyasal darbe yaprak dindar seküler herkesin… — Murat Somer (@murat_somer) July 1, 2025 Translation: No one in Turkey is interested in insulting religion; some are trying to extract meaning from nothing and use it as a pretext for a coup. Under the guise of religion, they aim to carry out a political coup and establish a regime where both devout and secular citizens are made subservient to others. However, many people have disagreed and view the cartoon as an insult to Islam and Muslims. Peygamberimiz Hz. Muhammed'e hakaret eden Leman isimli paçavranın kapısına kilit vurup yazanın, çizenin, basanın hayatını karartacak bir adalet istiyorum. — Marginale (@themarginale) June 30, 2025 Translation: I want the kind of justice that will shut down the disgraceful publication named Leman, which insulted our Prophet Muhammad, and ruin the lives of those who wrote, drew, and published it. Protests Many people angry at the cartoon took to the streets on Monday to protest against it, calling for the magazine to be shut down. Many met in front of the Leman Magazine building and prayed there as an act of protest. Some people marched at Taksim Square in downtown Istanbul, shouting, 'down with secularism', 'long live Sharia', which also created backlash online, as the Turkish government has long banned protests there, specifically including Feminist Night Marches, pride marches and May Day celebrations. Pride için yürüyüş yapcaklar diye bir aydır taksim kapalı yasak var genel diyolar?? Ama şeriatçi militan olunca bi anda açılmış taksim — luctuosa (@Iuctuosa) July 1, 2025 Translation: They've kept Taksim closed for a month, saying there's a general ban because of the Pride march. But suddenly, it's wide open when religious hardliners are gathering. An AFP correspondent reported that an Istanbul bar, a venue often frequented by Leman Magazine staff, was attacked by several dozen enraged protesters. This sparked angry scuffles with police, which quickly escalated into clashes involving 250 to 300 individuals. In April, Amnesty International said that the 'Turkish authorities must lift all restrictions on a planned May Day solidarity demonstration in Istanbul's Taksim Square and allow people to gather peacefully in accordance with a ruling by Türkiye's Constitutional Court.' Meanwhile, Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the Turkish opposition party, said, "I won't allow any disrespect toward the Prophet Muhammad, but I also won't stand by while people are targeted and vilified over something that wasn't disrespectful to begin with." With politicians getting involved and individuals being arrested, the impact of the issue has grown in the country, becoming increasingly viral on social media. The controversy over Leman's cartoon has once again brought to the surface the enduring tension between secular and religious worldviews in Turkey, a divide that has shaped the country's politics for decades. Since the early days of the Republic, secularism has been enshrined as a foundational principle, while conservative and religious movements have steadily gained ground, particularly under the rule of the Justice and Development Party since 2002. Analysts have long pointed to what they describe as a deepening culture war over religion, press freedom and national identity.
Washington Post
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Turkish police detain cartoonist over Prophet Muhammad caricature, sparking protests
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish police on Monday detained a cartoonist over a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad , an act that also sparked an angry protest outside the Istanbul office of his satirical magazine, officials and reports said. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X that Leman magazine's cartoonist was taken under custody for questioning. The minister also shared a video of the cartoonist — identified only by his initials DP — being taken into custody on a stairwell, with hands cuffed behind the back.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Turkey detains cartoonists over satirical drawing allegedly depicting prophets
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish authorities on Monday detained three cartoonists over a satirical drawing published by weekly magazine Leman that seemed to depict Prophets Moses and Muhammad shaking hands in the sky, while missiles flew below in a scene resembling war. The cartoon, widely seen as a commentary on religious harmony in contrast to conflict on Earth, drew strong condemnation from government officials and religious conservatives. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared a video on X showing police officers detaining cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan and dragging him up the stairs of a building with his hands cuffed behind his back. "I once again curse those who try to sow discord by drawing caricatures of our Prophet Muhammad," Yerlikaya wrote. "The individual who drew this vile image, D.P., has been apprehended and taken into custody. These shameless people will be held accountable before the law." Yerlikaya later posted two other videos, showing two other men being laid on the ground and forcibly taken from their homes, as policemen dragged them into vans - one of them walking barefoot. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation had been launched under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity, and that detention orders had been issued for six people in total. In its statement on X, the Leman magazine apologised to readers who felt offended and said the cartoon had been misunderstood. It said Pehlevan had sought to highlight "the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks", and that there was no intent to insult Islam or its prophet. "The name Muhammad is among the most widely used in the world by Muslims honoring the Prophet. The cartoon does not depict the Prophet and was not drawn to mock religious values," the magazine said, calling some interpretations "deliberately malicious." Leman also urged judicial authorities to act against what it called a smear campaign, and asked security forces to protect freedom of expression. Earlier in the evening, video footage on social media showed a group of protesters marching to Leman's office building in central Istanbul, chanting slogans and kicking its entrance doors. Turkey's ranking for freedom of expression is consistently low, reflecting significant restrictions on media and public discourse. Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index.
Associated Press
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Turkish police detain cartoonist over Prophet Muhammad caricature, sparking protests
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish police on Monday detained a cartoonist over a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad, an act that also sparked an angry protest outside the Istanbul office of his satirical magazine, officials and reports said. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X that Leman magazine's cartoonist was taken under custody for questioning. The minister also shared a video of the cartoonist — identified only by his initials DP — being taken into custody on a stairwell, with hands cuffed behind the back. Earlier, the country's justice minister said an investigation was launched into the magazine, citing possible charges of 'publicly insulting religious values.' A group of youths, reportedly belonging to an Islamist group, hurled stones at Leman's headquarters after it published a cartoon depicting Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses exchanging greetings in mid-air as missiles rain down from the sky. Yilmaz Tunc, the justice minister, said that cartoons or drawings depicting the Prophet harmed religious sensitivities and social harmony. 'No freedom grants the right to make the sacred values of a belief a subject of humor in an ugly way,' he wrote. The incident evoked memories of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, when two armed gunmen stormed the offices of the French satirical magazine known for its provocative cartoons, including depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. The attackers killed 12 people, including prominent cartoonists.
