Extremists in Turkey have targeted cartoonists, claiming an image showing a Muslim and Jewish man is actually a depiction of the “Prophet Mohammed.” The cartoonists have been detained by the government. The far-right government in Turkey has its roots in the Muslim Brotherhood and often uses religion as a basis for its populism.
The cartoon in question shows two men with wings, apparently having been killed in war, looking down on missiles hitting a city. It is apparently an attempt at satire on the tragedies of the war in Gaza and the Iranian missile attacks on Israel, suggesting that Muslims and Jews will find peace in the afterlife.
The weekly magazine that published the cartoon, LeMan, has now been targeted by extremists in Turkey. “This cartoon is not a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). In the work, the name Mohammed is fictionalized as belonging to a Muslim person killed in Israel’s bombardments. There are more than 200 million people named Mohammed in the Islamic world. The work does not refer to the Prophet Mohammed in any way,” the magazine said, according to CNN.
“By highlighting a murdered Muslim, the aim was to highlight the righteousness of the oppressed Muslim people, with no intention whatsoever of belittling religious values. We reject the stigma imposed on us, as there is no depiction of our Prophet,” LeMan said.
Most reports about the cartoon refuse to show the cartoon itself, leaving readers unable to judge. The actual cartoon shows two men with wings floating over a city. One man refers to the other as “son of Mohammed” and the other says “son of Moses” suggesting they are Jews and Muslims.
It has not been suggested that either of the two men is a religious figure from the Bible or the Koran. However, extremists in Turkey have mobilized and claimed religious sensitivity as a reason or incitement. This is not the first time this has happened. Claims that cartoons are “offensive” have led to terror attacks in the past.
France24 quoted the Turkish prosecutor office saying "the chief public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the publication of a cartoon in the June 26, 2025 issue of LeMan magazine that publicly insults religious values, and arrest warrants have been issued for those involved.” Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said police had arrested those responsible for "this vile drawing.” Arrests targeted the magazine's editor-in-chief and its graphic designer. According to CNN, Fahrettin Altun, the chief of communications for the Turkish Presidency, called the cartoon a “vile attack on our beliefs and values.”
France24 quoted the Turkish prosecutor office saying "the chief public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the publication of a cartoon in the June 26, 2025 issue of LeMan magazine that publicly insults religious values, and arrest warrants have been issued for those involved.” Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said police had arrested those responsible for "this vile drawing.” Arrests targeted the magazine's editor-in-chief and its graphic designer. According to CNN, Fahrettin Altun, the chief of communications for the Turkish Presidency, called the cartoon a “vile attack on our beliefs and values.”