Turkish women protested a prejudiced comment from their Deputy Prime Minister Wednesday by posting pictures on social media of themselves laughing.

Deputy PM Bulent Arinc made a statement that women should not laugh in public to protect their moral values, according to Reuters.

The comment has come into play politically as the opposition party's presidential candidate -- Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu -- replied with a comment siding with the women's rights.

"Our country needs our women to laugh and to hear everyone's joyful laughter more than ever," he said, according to Reuters.

The presidential race will be the first to directly elect a president of the country on August 10, according to The Guardian.

Arinc made the comment that instigated the protest, as well as threats of lawsuits from women, at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on Eid-al-Fitr.

"The woman should have chastity ... She should not laugh in front of everyone and not be inviting in her behavior. She should protect her honor," Arinc said, according to Reuters.

This sermon was received by some and may be the type of philosophy that some of the voters seek, according to The Guardian.

A lawmaker from the opposition party, Melda Onur, said making that kind of statement opens up room for violence against women who laugh by the men who are staunch supporters of the government, according to Reuters.

The Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, has been increasingly criticized for running the country like an authoritarian state.

He was quoted in 2010 as saying that ""women and men are not equal. They only complement each other," according to the Guardian.

As a result of the laughing comment, women in Turkey announced they are also planning a gathering in Istanbul on Aug. 8 to take part in a "laughing protest."