Columnist insulting Muslim women sentenced

A columnist who likened headscarf-wearing Muslim women to prostitutes was sentenced to one year and six months in prison for "inciting hatred." A court in Istanbul ruled for the sentencing of Işıl Özgentürk, who penned the controversial column for Cumhuriyet newspaper in January.

Prosecutors have sought her sentencing for implying that headscarves originated from the costumes of prostitutes in ancient times.

Though a large proportion of Muslim women wear headscarves in Turkey, they have often been targets of a secular mindset that imposed bans on headscarf-wearing students in the past.

Headscarf-wearing women occasionally face harassment from ultra-secular fanatics, either in the form of verbal harassment or physical attacks.