Outrage in Istanbul over magazine depicting prophets, cartoonists arrested

Protests and public outrage erupted in Turkiye after a weekly magazine, Leman, published a controversial cartoon depicting Prophet Moses (AS) and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Demonstrators gathered outside the magazine’s office to condemn the publication, while local authorities arrested three individuals believed to be behind the cartoon.

The illustration portrayed the two revered prophets shaking hands in the sky, with missiles flying on the ground to symbolise religious harmony amid the ongoing world conflict.

However, the depiction sparked intense backlash, as visual representations of Islamic prophets are strictly forbidden in Islam and widely considered offensive.

The protesters chanted Allahu Akbar and one of them climbed a building to raise a flag of shahadah. 

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⚡️A Turkish weekly publication recently published a caricature depicting the Prophets Muhammad and Moses, which sparked strong reactions, with protesters raising the banner

“There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” atop the magazine’s building pic.twitter.com/LzywijdC4f

— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) July 1, 2025

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya took to X to share a video of police detaining the staff from the magazine's premises.

“I once again curse those who try to sow discord by drawing caricatures of our Prophet Muhammad,” Yerlikaya wrote.

 “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.”

He also shared footage of two other suspects being arrested from their homes, stating, “Our security forces have also detained A.Y., the institutional director of the magazine that dared to publish a caricature of our Prophet (PBUH).”

Peygamber Efendimizin (S.A.V) karikatürünü yaparak nifak tohumları ekmeye çalışanları bir kez daha lanetliyorum.

Bu alçak çizimi yapan D.P. adlı şahıs yakalanarak gözaltına alınmıştır.

Bir kez daha yineliyorum:
Bu hayasızlar hukuk önünde hesap verecektir. pic.twitter.com/7xYe94B65d

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) June 30, 2025

The graphic designer, cartoonist, and editor-in-chief of Leman were taken into custody as part of the investigation.

Minister Yerlikaya emphasised that publishing provocative and offensive content under the guise of freedom of expression would not be tolerated, and vowed that religious values would be legally protected against such acts.

Peygamber Efendimiz (S.A.V.)’in hayasızca karikatürize edilmesini şiddetle kınıyorum.

Yapılan basın özgürlüğü değildir.
Yapılan ifade özgürlüğü değildir.

Dini değerlerimizi aşağılayan, Müslümanların vicdanında derin yaralar açan bu tür girişimler provokasyon amaçlıdır ve buna…

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) June 30, 2025