The father of Syrian refugee boy Alan Kurdi cried when he saw a cartoon of his son published in satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Abdullah Kurdi, father of boy Alan Kurdi. Photo: Reuters

"When I saw the picture, I burst into tears," AFP quoted Abdullah Kurdi, Alan Kurdi's father, as saying by phone yesterday. "My family is still in shock," he added.

According to Abdullah Kurdi, the French magazine's cartoon is "inhumane and immoral". Publishing the drawing is no different from a war crime or an act of terrorism.

The latest issue of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a cartoon showing two men chasing two frightened women with the caption "What will Alan grow up to be like? A pervert in Germany". The cartoon immediately received harsh criticism on social media. Charlie Hebdo has not yet commented on the incident.

The cartoon was a reference to sexual assaults on women in Cologne and other German cities on New Year’s Eve, many of which were blamed on migrants. Germany took in more than a million migrants last year, more than any other European country.

Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian, was found drowned on a Turkish beach in early September. The image of the lifeless boy served as a wake-up call to the world about the migration crisis, forcing Europe to change its response to the influx of refugees.

The image of Alan Kurdi lying face down on a beach in Türkiye in September 2015 shocked the world. Photo: Reuters

According to VNE