Four journalists from the Turkish satirical magazine LeMan have been arrested over a cartoon alleged to depict the Prophet Muhammad, a revered figure whose portrayal is prohibited in Islam.

Turkey’s Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, described the cartoon as “shameless”, confirming that the magazine’s editor-in-chief, graphic designer, institutional director and cartoonist had all been taken into custody. 

According to the BBC, Yerlikaya also shared videos of the arrests, calling the image a “vile drawing.”

In a statement posted on X, LeMan denied the cartoon was of the Prophet Muhammad, saying “the work does not refer to the Prophet Muhammed in any way.”

The cartoon, which has circulated on social media, shows two winged figures in the sky above a besieged city. One says, “Peace be upon you, I’m Muhammed,” and the other replies, “Peace be upon you, I’m Musa.”

The publication sparked public outrage, drawing hundreds of protesters outside LeMan’s Istanbul offices on Monday. 

Riot police were deployed as demonstrators chanted, “tooth for tooth, blood for blood, revenge, revenge”. According to a correspondent with Agence France-Presse (AFP), police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had launched an investigation for “publicly insulting religious values”. 

He wrote on X: “The caricature or any form of visual representation of our Prophet not only harms our religious values but also damages societal peace. Necessary legal steps will be taken without delay.”

Arrest warrants have reportedly been issued for additional senior members of LeMan’s management.

Responding to the backlash, the magazine apologised to “well-intentioned readers who feel hurt”, but insisted the illustration was not of the Prophet. 

ALSO READ: Wike slashes UniAbuja land from 11,000 to 4,000 hectares

“The cartoonist wanted to portray the righteousness of the oppressed Muslim people by depicting a Muslim killed by Israel, and he never intended to insult religious values,” LeMan wrote on X. 

“We do not accept the stain that is cast on us because there is no depiction of our Prophet. You have to be very malicious to interpret the cartoon in this way.”

Editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgun, speaking from Paris, told AFP that the drawing had been misinterpreted and that the magazine would “never take such a risk”. He said the situation bore “similarities with Charlie Hebdo”, which is “very intentional and very worrying”.

The 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo’s Paris offices by Islamist gunmen left 12 people dead and marked one of France’s deadliest terror incidents.

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE