(Bloomberg) -- Turkey detained four employees of a satirical magazine including a cartoonist accused of depicting the Prophet Muhammad, as the government intensifies its crackdown on dissent.
The cartoon, published in LeMan on June 26, drew protests by Islamic fundamentalist groups outside the magazines Istanbul office late on Monday. Demonstrators threw stones and chanted slogans calling for Sharia law.
The illustration, which LeMan denied was a caricature of the prophet, shows two winged figures above a warring city. Peace be upon you, Im Muhammed, says one. The other replies, Peace be upon you, Im Musa, using the Arabic name for Moses. Authorities ordered the issue to be removed from circulation.
Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are considered deeply offensive by many Muslims, who regard any visual representation of him as blasphemous.
Government officials and pro-government media portrayed the cartoon as an insult. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned it as a provocation and vowed legal action.
The incident comes amid growing criticism of President Erdogans Islamic-rooted AK Party for tightening its grip on the media, pressuring social media users and silencing dissenting voices. Opposition politicians, journalists, YouTubers and actors have been jailed in recent months, while the LGBTQ community has been increasingly vilified in officials rhetoric.
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LeMan, often likened to Frances Charlie Hebdo whose offices were attacked in a deadly shooting 10 years ago claimed the drawing aimed to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In a statement on X, it said the name was used because its the most common male name in the Islamic world, and insisted the image wasnt intended to represent the prophet.
The person who made this vile drawing has been caught and detained, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, along with a video showing a barefoot, handcuffed man being escorted by police with his head pushed down.
--With assistance from Beril Akman.
(Updates throughout with details of the incident, Erdogan comment. An earlier version corrected to clarify who was taken into custody.)
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