ISTANBUL — Turkish authorities arrested four staff members from the satirical magazine LeMan on Monday following widespread outrage over an illustration many viewed as depicting Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses shaking hands amid a barrage of missiles.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounced the image as a “vile provocation” that wounded religious sensibilities, and the country’s top prosecutor opened an inquiry under laws against incitement to hatred.
The drawing, published shortly after a brief flare‑up of hostilities between Israel and Iran, shows two robed figures labeled “Muhammad” and “Musa” floating above a city under bombardment.
Critics—especially conservative Muslim groups and the ruling AK Party—argued it equated revered prophets to mere characters in a war scene, or even mocked their sanctity.
Thousands flooded social media with calls to shut down LeMan, and small protests erupted in central Istanbul despite police bans on gatherings.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted video clips of police detaining the magazine’s cartoonist, graphic designer, editor‑in‑chief, and institutional director.
“Those who disrespect our prophets will face the full force of the law,” he wrote, pledging severe penalties for what he termed an “Islamophobic hate crime.”
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