Turkish cult satirical magazine shut down over Moses cartoon

ANKARA, Turkey – Publishers say they have closed down Turkey’s once top-selling satirical magazine following a cartoon that was deemed to be offensive to Jews and Muslims.

Lawyers for Girgir magazine’s publishing house said Friday the company did not approve of the “unpleasant” cartoon that poked fun at Moses and had decided to close down the publication and fire its workers, according to Hurriyet newspaper.

The magazine also apologized to readers through Twitter for “causing hurt” while prosecutors were investigating whether the cartoon “denigrated” religious values.

Girgir, established in 1972, was Turkey’s largest selling satirical magazine in the 1980s and 1990s.

Although it was briefly shut down following the 1980 military coup, it had a cult following mostly due to the fact that it got political messages across through cartoons, escaping censorship.