Clashes erupted in Istanbul Monday with police firing rubber bullets and tear fuel to interrupt up an indignant mob after allegations {that a} satirical journal had printed a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed, an AFP correspondent mentioned.
The incident occurred after Istanbul’s chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of the editors at LeMan journal on grounds it had printed a cartoon which “publicly insulted spiritual values”.
“The chief public prosecutor’s workplace has launched an investigation into the publication of a cartoon within the June 26, 2025 difficulty of LeMan journal that publicly insults spiritual values, and arrest warrants have been issued for these concerned,” the prosectors workplace mentioned.
A replica of the black-and-white picture posted on social media confirmed two characters hovering within the skies over a metropolis underneath bombardment.
“Salam aleikum, I am Mohammed,” says one shaking fingers with the opposite who replies, “Aleikum salam, I am Musa.”
However the journal’s editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgun informed AFP by telephone from Paris that the picture had been misinterpreted and was “not a caricature of Prophet Mohammed”.
“On this work, the identify of a Muslim who was killed within the bombardments of Israel is fictionalised as Mohammed. Greater than 200 million folks within the Islamic world are named Mohammed,” he mentioned, saying it had “nothing to do with Prophet Mohammed.
“We might by no means take such a danger.”
Because the information broke, a number of dozen indignant protesters attacked a bar usually frequented by LeMan staffers in downtown Istanbul, frightening indignant scuffles with police, an AFP correspondent mentioned.
The scuffles shortly degenerated into clashes involving between 250 to 300 folks, the correspondent mentioned.
– Cartoonist, two others held –
In a number of posts on X, Inside Minister Ali Yerlikaya mentioned police had arrested the cartoonist answerable for “this vile drawing”, the journal’s editor-in-chief and its graphic designer.
Police had additionally taken over the journal’s places of work on Istiklal Avenue and arrest warrants had been issued for a number of different of the journal’s executives, presidential press aide Fahrettin Altin wrote on X.
In a string of posts on X, LeMan defended the cartoon and mentioned it had been intentionally misinterpreted to trigger a provocation.
“The cartoonist wished to painting the righteousness of the oppressed Muslim folks by depicting a Muslim killed by Israel, he by no means supposed to belittle spiritual values,” it mentioned.
Akgun mentioned the authorized assault on the journal, a satirical bastion of opposition which was based in 1991, was “extremely surprising however not very shocking”.
“That is an act of annihilation. Ministers are concerned in the entire enterprise, a cartoon is distorted,” he mentioned.
“Drawing similarities with Charlie Hebdo could be very intentional and really worrying,” he mentioned of the French satirical journal whose places of work have been stormed by Islamist gunmen in 2015.
The assault, which killed 12 folks, occurred after it printed caricatures lampooning the Prophet Mohammed.
– ‘A really systematic provocation’ –
“There’s a sport right here, as if we have been repeating one thing comparable. This can be a very systematic provocation and assault,” Akgun mentioned.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc an investigation had been opened on grounds of “publicly insulting spiritual values”.
“Disrespect in the direction of our beliefs isn’t acceptable,” he wrote on X.
“No freedom grants the precise to make the sacred values of a perception the topic of ugly humour. The caricature or any type of visible illustration of our Prophet not solely harms our spiritual values but additionally damages societal peace.”
Istanbul governor Davut Gul additionally lashed out at “this mentality that seeks to impress society by attacking our sacred values.
“We won’t stay silent within the face of any vile act focusing on our nation’s religion,” he warned.