Culture Turkish police detain cartoonist over Prophet Muhammad caricature

Turkish police detain cartoonist over Prophet Muhammad caricature

-

- Advertisment -
ADVERTISEMENT

Turkish police have detained a cartoonist for Leman magazine over a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad greeting Prophet Moses in a war zone.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X that Leman magazine’s cartoonist was taken into 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. 

“I once again condemn those who are trying to sow discord by drawing a caricature of our Prophet,” wrote Yerlikaya. “The person named D.P. who made this vile drawing has been caught and detained.”

He added: “I repeat once again:  These shameless people will be held accountable before the law.” 

Earlier, the country’s justice minister said an investigation was launched into the magazine, citing possible charges of “publicly insulting religious values.” 

The caricature sparked protests outside the Istanbul office of the satirical magazine, with groups of youths, reportedly belonging to an Islamist group, hurling stones at Leman’s headquarters.

The cartoon depicting Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses exchanging greetings in mid-air as missiles rain down from the sky has been circulating online.

One post reads: “For those who haven’t seen or come across it, this is the cartoon. What we call a cartoon is a drawing that depicts a person, event or situation in an exaggerated, often humorous and critical way. I don’t think this cartoon is intended to be a mockery or insult.” 

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 humour in an ugly way,” he wrote. 

Je Suis Charlie - 7 January 2015
Je Suis Charlie – 7 January 2015AP Photo

The incident evokes 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. 

On 7 January, which marked the 10 years since the Islamist attack that shocked the country and led to fierce debate about freedom of expression and religion, President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo led commemorations by laying wreaths at the site of the weekly’s former offices. 

“We have not forgotten them,” Macron wrote on social media alongside pictures of the murdered newspaper staff including famed cartoonists Cabu, Charb, Honore, Tignous and Wolinski, who were holding an editorial meeting at the time of the assault. 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest news

Glastonbury ‘hate crime’? Backlash intensifies for Bob Vylan

ADVERTISEMENTA criminal investigation has been launched into the Glastonbury performances of both Bob Vylan and Kneecap after the police reviewed video footage and audio of both sets, which took place on Saturday.  UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy condemned the "appalling and unacceptable scenes" and said she had called BBC director-general Tim Davie after the broadcast of Bob Vylan's

Algerian court upholds writer Boualem Sansal’s 5-year prison sentence

ADVERTISEMENTA court in Algeria has upheld Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal's five-year prison sentence in a case that has raised alarm over freedom of expression in Algeria and pushed tensions with France to the brink.The Académie Française prize-winning author of "2084: la fin du monde" (“2084: The End of the World”), a dystopian novel set in

Meet the artists behind Sweden’s mouse-size miniature worlds

ADVERTISEMENTIn 2016, tiny mouse-themed shops and homes began mysteriously popping up on the streets of southern Sweden. The miniature scenes quickly went viral, even making an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, and were signed only by an anonymous art collective known as Anonymouse. Earlier this year, the mystery was solved when

Turkish police detain cartoonist over Prophet Muhammad caricature

ADVERTISEMENTTurkish police have detained a cartoonist for Leman magazine over a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad greeting Prophet Moses in a war zone.Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X that Leman magazine's cartoonist was taken into custody for questioning. The minister also shared a video of the cartoonist - identified only by his initials DP
- Advertisement -

Pearl Jam remember Roskilde Festival tragedy 25 years on

ADVERTISEMENTToday, 25 years ago, one of the worst accidents in rock history occurred at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark: nine young men lost their lives in the chaos that unfolded during a Pearl Jam concert.Rasmus Thirup Beck, a journalist who attended the Pearl Jam concert in 2000 shared his memories with Danish TV on the

Watch: Why Costa Rica’s eco-friendly coffee culture is thriving

ADVERTISEMENTOver 4,500 local farmers are part of Costa Rica's largest coffee cooperative, CoopeTarrazú. The organisation offers its members fair prices, free compost, and eco-friendly farming training. It also provides childcare facilities for the children of migrant workers during the coffee harvest season. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Must read

Glastonbury ‘hate crime’? Backlash intensifies for Bob Vylan

ADVERTISEMENTA criminal investigation has been launched into the Glastonbury performances of both Bob Vylan and Kneecap after the police reviewed video footage and audio of both sets, which took place on Saturday.  UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy condemned the "appalling and unacceptable scenes" and said she had called BBC director-general Tim Davie after the broadcast of Bob Vylan's

Algerian court upholds writer Boualem Sansal’s 5-year prison sentence

ADVERTISEMENTA court in Algeria has upheld Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal's five-year prison sentence in a case that has raised alarm over freedom of expression in Algeria and pushed tensions with France to the brink.The Académie Française prize-winning author of "2084: la fin du monde" (“2084: The End of the World”), a dystopian novel set in
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you