Turkish police detains cartoonist amid Prophet Muhammad caricature dispute

The drawing, which LeMan denied was a caricature of the Prophet, features two winged figures floating in the sky above a besieged city.

Turkish police detained a cartoonist late Monday over an illustration in a satirical magazine that authorities allege depicts the Prophet Muhammad.

Islamist protesters clash with Turkish anti riot police officers as they gather to protests Leman cartoon magazine in Istanbul. (AFP)

Turkey Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya condemned the cartoon in LeMan as “shameless” and said the magazine’s editor-in-chief, graphic designer, institutional director, and the cartoonist were taken into custody.

The drawing, which LeMan denied was a caricature of the prophet, features two winged figures floating in the sky above a besieged city. One says “Peace be upon you, I’m Muhammed” and the other responds “peace be upon you, I’m Musa,” the Arabic name for Moses.

A group of protesters gathered outside LeMan’s office and threw stones at the building after the cartoon was published. Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are considered deeply offensive by many Muslims, who view any visual representation of him as a form of blasphemy.

In a statement on X, LeMan said the name was used because it’s the most common male name in the Islamic world, and insisted the image wasn’t intended to represent the prophet.