Ankara, SAEDNEWS, Oct. 29: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s efforts to ridicule him, saying he has nothing to say about “scoundrels who insult his beloved prophet”, as Turkish authorities vow to take legal and diplomatic steps in response. A strongly worded statement from the Turkish Communication Directorate on Wednesday called on "all countries, especially France, to take the necessary steps against provocative anti-Muslim attacks in recent weeks".
Shortly after, the Ankara prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the publication.
Turkish anger at the recent caricature added fuel to a long-simmering row over France's anti-Muslim policies, including offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad by Hebdo in 2015. Depicting prophets is strictly avoided in Islam and Muslims around the world took the caricatures to be an offence intentionally directed at mocking the community at large.
Erdogan on Wednesday blasted the "scoundrels" at Hebdo for mocking him in a front-page cartoon.
"I don't need to say anything to those scoundrels who insult my beloved prophet on such a scale," Erdogan said in a speech to his Justice and Development (AK) Party's lawmakers in the parliament.
Erdogan said he had not personally seen the Hebdo drawing because he did not want to "give credit to such immoral publications", calling it "disgusting" nonetheless.
Tensions between France and Muslims further flared after a French teacher was beheaded earlier this month for showing his pupils caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in a lesson on freedom of speech (Source: TRT).
Charlie Hebdo Caricature Broke the Hearts of Muslims
