Latest news with #LeMan
Bangkok Post
8 minutes ago
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Cartoon enrages Turkish protesters
ISTANBUL - Angry protesters rallied in Istanbul on Tuesday despite a heavy police presence, shouting threats following allegations that a satirical magazine had published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed. Unrest began late Monday after Istanbul's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of staff at LeMan weekly saying it had published a cartoon that 'publicly insulted religious values'. LeMan categorically denied the allegation, with its editor-in-chief telling AFP the image had 'nothing to do with the Prophet Mohammed'. But news of the warrant brought an angry mob of hardline Islamist protesters onto the streets, who clashed with police late into the night, an AFP correspondent said. A group called Islamic Solidarity Platform called another protest Tuesday, prompting police to shut Taksim Square and Istiklal, the city's busy shopping thoroughfare. The group of around 300 protesters shouted abuse at the magazine and chanted 'don't forget Charlie Hebdo ', referring to the 2015 attack on a Paris magazine when Islamist gunmen killed 12 people after it published caricatures lampooning the Prophet Mohammed. According to the correspondent, the protesters were far less aggressive than those who rallied on Monday night, when around 400 Islamist hardliners tried to storm a bar frequented by the magazine staff. 'Down with secularism, long live sharia (law)! Jihad, jihad, martyrdom!' they shouted while clashing with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets. 'No justification for violence' Publication of the image drew sharp condemnation from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who denounced it as a 'hate crime'. 'It is a clear provocation disguised as humour, a vile provocation,' he railed, saying the authorities had confiscated all existing copies of the offending issue. 'Those who are insolent towards our Prophet and other prophets will be held accountable before the law.' Monday's violence drew sharp condemnation from Erol Onderoglu, the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). 'There is no justification for such violence, which we strongly condemn,' he told AFP, saying it was 'hard to understand' why police did not intervene sooner and that the 'cartoonists' safety must take priority'. Overnight, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted images of the cartoonist, LeMan's graphic designer, its publisher and another staff member being roughly dragged away under arrest, prompting a rebuke from the Turkish rights group MLSA. 'Detaining cartoonists and subjecting them to mistreatment under the accusation of 'insulting religious values' over a cartoon is unlawful,' its co-director Veysel Ok wrote on X. 'Even if a non-violent image or statement disturbs, offends, or provokes a large part of society, it is still protected by freedom of expression.' Copies of the disputed cartoon posted online show two characters hovering in the skies over a city being bombed. 'Salam aleikum, I'm Mohammed,' says one shaking hands with the other who replies, 'Aleikum salam, I'm Musa.' 'Social lynching' Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel said he was shocked when he first heard the allegations but after looking at the image, said he quickly realised they were not true. 'Take a proper look: I see an angel who died in a bombardment in Gaza, with a halo and wings who encounters another angel also killed by a bomb … (but) Mohammad is a prophet, not an angel,' he said. 'I will not allow any disrespect to the Prophet Mohammed, but I won't remain silent about a social lynching based on a non-existant disrespect.' Speaking to AFP from Paris, LeMan editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgun said the image had been deliberately misinterpreted to cause provocation. 'In this work, the name of a Muslim who was killed in Israel's bombardments is fictionalised as Mohammed,' he said. 'This cartoon is not a caricature of Prophet Mohammed in any way,' he said, describing the arrest warrant as a 'systematic provocation and attack' on the decades-old satirical magazine.
Morocco World
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Morocco World
Istanbul Police Arrest 4 Magazine Staffers Over Cartoon Allegedly Depicting Prophet Muhammad
Rabat – Police in Turkiye used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a protest after allegations that a satirical magazine published a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. Converging reports said police arrested four people working for LeMan, the magazine that published the alleged cartoon. The cartoon was published last week, triggering backlash and frustration from many, with protesters taking to the streets to denounce the act as an insult to religious values. Viral videos online show people marching across Istanbul, reaching the magazine's office and chanting slogans against the act. On Tuesday, Istanbul's chief public prosecutor's office announced the opening of an investigation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself lashed out at the magazine, describing the act as a 'vile provocation' and a hate crime. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also condemned the caricaturing of Prophet Muhammad, noting that the act is not a press freedom nor is it freedom of expression. 'These provocative acts, which insult our sacred values and deeply hurt Muslim consciences, will not go unpunished,'he said in a statement. The minister said that six detention orders were issued. A graphic designer, as well as two other senior staff members from the magazine and a cartoonist, were arrested, and the investigation is ongoing to arrest other accomplices. The magazine, LeMan, later apologized to readers, claiming the cartoon was misinterpreted and was meant to depict the 'suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks.' It further claimed that the cartoon does not portray Prophet Muhammad, noting that the general name 'Muhammed' is the most common in the Muslim world.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Turkish police arrest cartoonists over drawing ‘showing prophet Muhammad'
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has condemned a cartoon in a satirical magazine as a 'vile provocation' for appearing to depict the prophets Muhammad and Moses, amplifying an outcry by religious conservatives. The cartoon, published a few days after the end of a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, appears to show Muhammad, Islam's chief prophet, and Moses, one of Judaism's most important prophets, shaking hands in the sky while missiles fly below in a wartime scene. Four cartoonists were arrested on Monday over the illustration. It was criticised by religious conservatives and by Erdoğan's ruling party, which called it an 'Islamophobic hate crime,' even as the magazine that published it, LeMan, apologised to readers who felt offended and said the drawing had been misunderstood. 'We will not allow anyone to speak against our sacred values,' Erdoğan said in televised remarks, adding that the authorities would closely follow the legal process. 'Those who show disrespect to our prophet and other prophets will be held accountable before the law,' he said. Erdoğan and his Islamic-rooted AK Party regularly criticise what they call Islamophobic acts in broadly secular Turkey and across Europe. Devout Muslims regard depictions of the prophet Muhammad as blasphemous. In a statement on X, LeMan said: 'The work does not refer to the Prophet Muhammad in any way.' The cartoonist, Dogan Pehlevan, had sought to highlight 'the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks', it said, adding there had been no intent to insult Islam or its prophet. The magazine urged authorities to counter what it called a smear campaign, and to protect freedom of expression. Several civil society groups condemned the detentions of the four cartoonists as a violation of freedom of thought and expression. Turkey's freedom of expression ranking is low, due to restrictions on media and public discourse. Reporters Without Borders ranked it 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index. More than 200 people rallied against LeMan in central Istanbul on Tuesday, despite a ban on gatherings and a heavy police presence. One protester, public servant Muhammed Emin Necipsoy, said the magazine's defence seemed insincere. 'There is a subtle emphasis there on both the prophet [Muhammad] and the prophet Moses,' he said. Turkey's interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, shared a video on X showing police officers detaining Pehlevan, with his hands cuffed behind his back as he was dragged up a flight of stairs. He also shared videos of three other men being removed from their homes and put into vans, one of them barefoot. '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 wrote. The Turkish government said an inquiry had been launched under a law that criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Islamist protesters clash with police and scream 'long live sharia, jihad... don't forget Charlie Hebdo' after Turkish magazine is accused of publishing cartoon of Prophet Mohammed
Angry protests erupted in Istanbul today following allegations a satirical magazine in Turkey had published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed. A group of some 300 protesters issued a chilling warning as they took to the streets on Tuesday, chanting 'don't forget Charlie Hebdo'. The crowd was referring to the 2015 attack on a Paris magazine when Islamist gunmen killed 12 after it published caricatures lampooning the Prophet Mohammed. Unrest began late on Monday after the city's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of staff at LeMan, claiming it had published a cartoon that 'insulted religious values'. An angry mob of hardline Islamist protesters clashed with police late into the night after news of the warrant emerged, an AFP correspondent said. 'Down with secularism, long live sharia (law)! Jihad, jihad, martyrdom!' they had shouted while tussling with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets. The weekly has categorically denied the allegation, with its editor-in-chief telling AFP that its cartoon had 'nothing to do with the Prophet Mohammed'. Illustrator Dogan Pehlevan had sought to highlight 'the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks', the magazine said. The cartoon, published last Thursday, shows two winged, bearded men shaking hands and introducing themselves as Mohammed and Musa (Moses). Bullets are seen falling from the sky as a city skyline burns around them. It was flanked by cartoons satirizing poverty and marginalisation in Turkey. The magazine apologised to readers who felt offended and said it had been misunderstood, adding that there was no intent to insult Islam or its prophet. Erdogan and his ruling AK Party nonetheless condemned what the party called an 'Islamophobic hate crime' as officials paraded the arrests of staff. Interpretations have varied. Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel said he was initially shocked when he first heard the allegations, but after seeing it came to a different conclusion. 'Take a proper look: I see an angel who died in a bombardment in Gaza, with a halo and wings who encounters another angel also killed by a bomb.. (but) Mohammad is a prophet, not an angel,' he said. 'I will not allow any disrespect to the Prophet Mohammed, but I won't remain silent about a social lynching based on a non-existant disrespect.' Speaking to AFP from Paris, LeMan editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgun said the image had been deliberately misinterpreted to cause provocation. 'In this work, the name of a Muslim who was killed in Israel's bombardments is fictionalised as Mohammed,' he said. 'This cartoon is not a caricature of Prophet Mohammed in any way,' he said, describing the arrest warrant as a "systematic provocation and attack" on the decades-old satirical magazine. Hundreds of people nonetheless rallied against Leman in central Istanbul on Tuesday, despite a ban on gatherings and a heavy police presence. Police shut Taksim Square and Istiklal, the city's busy shopping thoroughfare, in response. One protester in Istanbul said the defence seemed insincere. They said: 'There is a subtle emphasis there on both the Prophet (Mohammad) and the Prophet Moses.' Devout Muslims regard depictions of the Prophet Mohammad as blasphemous. A correspondent for the AFP news agency said the protesters were far less aggressive than those who rallied on Monday night, when around 400 Islamist hardliners tried to storm a bar frequented by the magazine staff. But the streets have filled with people carrying banners and shouting abuse at the magazine since authorities arrested staff and denounced what President Erdogan's ruling party called an 'Islamophobic hate crime'. 'We will not allow anyone to speak against our sacred values,' Erdogan said in televised remarks, adding that authorities would closely follow the legal process. 'Those who show disrespect to our Prophet and other prophets will be held accountable before the law,' he said. The magazine urged authorities to counter what it called a smear campaign, and to protect freedom of expression. Four Leman cartoonists were detained late on Monday over the drawing. Late on Monday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared a video on X showing police officers detaining Pehlevan, the cartoonist, with his hands cuffed behind his back as he was dragged up a stairwell. He also shared videos of three other men being removed from their homes and dragged into vans, one of them barefoot. '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 wrote. People shout slogans during a protest against LeMan magazine outside Taksim mosque today Several civil society groups condemned the detentions as a violation of freedom of thought and expression. The government said an inquiry was launched under a penal code article that criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity. Turkey's freedom of expression ranking is low due to restrictions on media and public discourse.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
'Remember Charlie Hebdo!' Protesters seethe at Istanbul magazine
Angry protesters rallied in Istanbul on Tuesday despite a heavy police presence, shouting threats following allegations a satirical magazine published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed. Unrest began late Monday after Istanbul's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of staff at LeMan weekly saying it had published a cartoon that "publicly insulted religious values". LeMan categorically denied the allegation, with its editor-in-chief telling AFP the image had "nothing to do with the Prophet Mohammed". But news of the warrant brought an angry mob of hardline Islamist protesters onto the streets, who clashed with police late into the night, an AFP correspondent said. A group called Islamic Solidarity Platform called another protest Tuesday, prompting police to shut Taksim Square and Istiklal, the city's busy shopping thoroughfare. The group of around 300 protesters shouted abuse at the magazine and chanted "don't forget Charlie Hebdo", referring to the 2015 attack on a Paris magazine when Islamist gunmen killed 12 people after it published caricatures lampooning the Prophet Mohammed. According to the correspondent, the protesters were far less aggressive than those who rallied on Monday night, when around 400 Islamist hardliners tried to storm a bar frequented by the magazine staff. "Down with secularism, long live sharia (law)! Jihad, jihad, martyrdom!" they shouted while clashing with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets. - 'No justification for violence' - Publication of the image drew sharp condemnation from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who denounced it as a "hate crime". "It is a clear provocation disguised as humour, a vile provocation," he railed, saying the authorities had confiscated all existing copies of the offending issue. "Those who are insolent towards our Prophet and other prophets will be held accountable before the law." Monday's violence drew sharp condemnation from Erol Onderoglu, the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "There is no justification for such violence, which we strongly condemn," he told AFP, saying it was "hard to understand" why police did not intervene sooner and that the "cartoonists' safety must take priority". Overnight, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted images of the cartoonist, LeMan's graphic designer, its publisher and another staff member being roughly dragged away under arrest, prompting a rebuke from Turkish rights group MLSA. "Detaining cartoonists and subjecting them to mistreatment under the accusation of 'insulting religious values' over a cartoon is unlawful," its co-director Veysel Ok wrote on X. "Even if a non-violent image or statement disturbs, offends, or provokes a large part of society, it is still protected by freedom of expression." Copies of the disputed cartoon posted online show two characters hovering in the skies over a city being bombed. "Salam aleikum, I'm Mohammed," says one shaking hands with the other who replies, "Aleikum salam, I'm Musa." - 'Social lynching' - Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel said he was shocked when he first heard the allegations but after looking at the image, said he quickly realised they were not true. "Take a proper look: I see an angel who died in a bombardment in Gaza, with a halo and wings who encounters another angel also killed by a bomb.. (but) Mohammad is a prophet, not an angel," he said. "I will not allow any disrespect to the Prophet Mohammed, but I won't remain silent about a social lynching based on a non-existant disrespect." Speaking to AFP from Paris, LeMan editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgun said the image had been deliberately misinterpreted to cause provocation. "In this work, the name of a Muslim who was killed in Israel's bombardments is fictionalised as Mohammed," he said. "This cartoon is not a caricature of Prophet Mohammed in any way," he said, describing the arrest warrant as a "systematic provocation and attack" on the decades-old satirical magazine. bg-hmw
