CNN
–
Turkish police detained at least four cartoonists on Monday when authorities and protesters accused of drawing and distributing cartoons they described as portrayal of the prophets Mohammed and Moses.
The cartoons featured in a political satire magazine show what appears to be a Muslim and Jewish man in both the wings and Hello.
The manga went viral on social media four days after its release. Hundreds of people took them to Istanbul’s main tourist streets, chanting “Allah is great,” and protested and sought the Sharia Act. Turkish authorities quickly denounced the magazine.
Home Minister Ali Yarikaya called the manga a provocation and said, “People who dare this will be held responsible before the law.” Yerlikaya said the comics are not protected by freedom of expression or freedom of speech.
Fahrettin Altun, head communication for the Turkish presidency, called it a “snarky attack on our beliefs and values.”
The country’s Justice Department has announced that an investigation into the case has been launched under Article 216 of the Turkish Criminal Code regarding the crime of “publicly shaming religious values.”
Leman, a weekly political satire magazine known for its insulting comics resembling French Charlie Hebdo, has issued a statement that their comics do not portray Islamic prophets.
“This cartoon is not a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh). In this work, the name Mohammed is fictional as belonging to a Muslim person killed in the Israeli artillery shelling. There are over 200 million people in the Islamic world named Mohammed.
“By highlighting the murdered Muslims, the aim was to emphasize the righteousness of oppressed Muslims. There is no intention to underestimate religious values. We reject the stigma imposed on us because we do not have a portrayal of the prophet,” Leman said.
“Interpreting a manga in this way requires extreme maliciousness,” the magazine added, but also offered an apology to readers who may have been offended.
When protesters took him onto the streets, the Home Office released a video of the cartoonist being detained at his home, barefoot and handcuffed by police with captions such as “You won’t escape our security forces and justice.”
Protesters were seen kicking the door of a magazine office in central Istanbul. In one video, the demonstrator “submits our lives and takes our lives for the prophet. We cannot sham the prophet.”
The crowd also prayed for the night. Within hours, Istanbul Governor Dabut Gal announced that all four people wanted for the comic were in police custody.
Gar did not say whether the demonstrators were in custody, but in a statement he said:
Some groups are calling for further protests against the magazine on Tuesday.
This story was revised to reveal that the cartoonist was in custody and not officially arrested.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
