Author: Agencies
Publication: Express India
Date: July 8, 2009
URL: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Hindus-demand-removal-of-offensive-ad-by-Burger-King/486604/
A US-based Hindu advocacy group has asked
American fast food chain Burger King to immediately remove an advertisement
campaign featuring goddess Lakshmi, which it says is "offensive"
to the people of the faith.
Washington-based Hindu American Foundation
said Burger King is running a print advertisement in Spain that depicts an
image of the goddess seated atop a meat sandwich and other foodstuffs with
the catch phrase, "A snack that's sacred," in Spanish.
In the letter written to the company, the
HAF has also sought an apology from it for demonstrating lack of cultural
and religious sensitivity in this case.
"An advertisement knowingly and intentionally
using sacred symbols, especially those of another religious tradition for
purely commercial purposes can be offensive in and of itself," said Suhag
Shukla, managing director and legal counsel for the Foundation.
"Compounding this insult is the use of
the sacred image for the sale of a meat product -Burger King's judgement in
associating a burger with a Hindu goddess is absolutely baffling," Shukla
said in a statement.
There was no immediate response from the media
office of Burger King.
Shukla said that the Foundation had written
a letter to corporate headquarters of Burger King last Tuesday. "There
has been no response from them," he said. The HAF was informed about
the advertisement by one of its members in Spain.
"I was horrified to walk by a Burger
King store in my neighbourhood to discover an image of the same deity that
I worship at my home altar, displayed so disrespectfully promoting a meat
sandwich," said Monica Pahilwani, a Spanish.
"A multinational corporation with a global
presence should be much more aware of religious and cultural sensitivities,
and how truly repelling such an advertisement could be to Hindus," she
said.
Spanish Hindus demanding physical removal
of all of the ads in Fuengirola, Spain have already met some success locally,
HAF said.
The geographic reach of the advertisement
campaign was unknown, and it is unclear if similar ads are running in other
countries as well, it said.
"Burger King, in its efforts to drum
up sales, seems to be have taken out of its marketing equation respect of
ethno-religious sensitivities," Shukla said.
"We are determined to follow this issue
to ensure that Burger King stays true to its stated commitment to diversity
and inclusion as it reaches out to its global consumers," he said.
