Banafsheh Samgis has been accused of "insulting and undermining the holy tenets of islam" and "distorting Islamic history" in a favorable review she wrote on the book ‘Iranian Women Musicians’. She was faulted for writing that the prophet Mohammed used to enjoy listening to music sung and played by women musicians, and that female artists have practiced their craft throughout Islamic history. 

Banafsheh Samgis was questioned in court and sentenced to one year in prison by the State Court in Iran. Some sources state that the sentence was shortened later on.

The author of the book, Tuka Maleki, has also been questioned and tried together with others involved in the publishing of the book and the review. The office of Iran, the newspaper who published the review was closed down for a short period, but reopened after protests from the public. The case continued in court, though.

It is not clear what exactly happened after the court cases; who was sentences to jail and for how long time.