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

Abdullah Kurdi, father of Alan Kurdi. Photo: Reuters

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

According to Abdullah Kurdi, the cartoon published by the French magazine was "inhuman and immoral." Publishing the drawing was tantamount to a war crime or an act of terrorism.

The satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in its latest issue, published a cartoon depicting two men chasing two frightened women with the caption, "What will Alan be like when he grows up? A pervert in Germany." The cartoon immediately drew fierce criticism on social media. Charlie Hebdo has not yet commented on the matter.

The cartoon alludes to the sexual assaults targeting women in Cologne and other German cities on New Year's Eve, many of which are believed to have been committed by immigrants. Germany received over a million immigrants last year, more than any other European country.

Three-year-old Alan Kurdi, a Syrian boy, was found drowned on a Turkish beach in early September last year. The image of the boy lying motionless served as a wake-up call to the world regarding the migration crisis, forcing Europe to change its approach to the refugee crisis.

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

According to VNE