On Wednesday, Turkish officials criticized the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for its cover cartoon mocking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accused it of sowing “the seeds of hatred and animosity.”
The cartoon could further heighten tensions between Turkey and France, which erupted over French President Emmanuel Macron’s firm stance against Islamism following the beheading of a teacher who showed his class cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad for a free speech class. .
The cartoons of the Prophet upset many in the Muslim world. But it was Erdogan who led the charge against France and questioned Macron’s state of mind. France then called its ambassador to Turkey for consultations, a first in diplomatic relations between France and Turkey.
“We strongly condemn the publication about our president of the French magazine, who does not respect the faith, the sacred and the values,” wrote Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, on Twitter.
Kalin said: “The aim of these publications, which lack morality and decency, is to sow seeds of hatred and animosity. Turning freedom of expression into hostility towards religion and belief can only be the product of a sick mentality. “
The cartoon showed Erdogan in his underwear holding a drink and lifting the skirt of a woman in an Islamic dress.
“I condemn the immoral publication of this incorrigible French rag about our president,” wrote Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay on Twitter. “I call on the moral and conscientious international community to speak out against this disgrace.”
Macron’s stance sparked protests against France in Turkey and other Muslim countries, as well as calls for a boycott of the French good.
Tensions between France and Turkey have increased in recent months due to Turkish actions in Syria, Libya and the Caucasus mountain region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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