ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday vowed to hold accountable those responsible for allegedly disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad and other revered religious figures, following public backlash over a controversial caricature published by Turkey’s satirical magazine LeMan, which denied disrespecting the Muslim prophet.
Erdogan criticized the publication during a press conference, indirectly addressing LeMan. “Those who are insolent towards our Prophet [Muhammad] and other prophets will be held accountable before the law,” he stated, condemning the cartoon as “an open provocation disguised as humor” and labeling it “a vile provocation.”
The cartoon, released last Thursday, depicts two characters hovering above a city under bombardment. One character says, “Salam aleikum, I’m Muhammad,” and the other replies, “Aleikum salam, I’m Moses.”
Many interpreted the characters as representations of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad and the Jewish Prophet Moses, in an apparent reference to the recent Israel-Iran conflict that began on June 13 and lasted 12 days.
LeMan, known for its political satire, denied the caricature targeted any religious figure.
In a statement posted Thursday on X, the magazine emphasized, “This IS NOT a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad,” arguing that the name “Muhammad” is shared by over 200 million people worldwide. It stressed that the cartoon does not reference the Prophet of Islam or any other revered figure.
In response to the controversy, Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor launched an investigation last week. On Monday, Turkish police detained at least four cartoonists accused of creating and distributing the illustration.
The cartoon has sparked widespread protests, with demonstrators gathering outside LeMan’s offices and in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, chanting slogans and demanding legal action against the magazine.
Meanwhile, public opinion in Istanbul appears to be divided over the matter.
Speaking to Rudaw on Tuesday, Zafer Denk, a local resident, said, “I think it is very wrong that in a Muslim-majority country, such provocative things would unfold.”
In contrast, Metehan Celiksoy, a student in Istanbul, commented, “I think this caricature thing should not be blown out of proportion,” while also noting that “freedom of expression should not insult other people’s beliefs.”
