By Barbara Falconer Newhall
Is that the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi? Seated on a meat sandwich on a bun? In a Burger King ad? In Spain?
Leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) have wasted no time registering their dismay at an ad they say portrays the Goddess Lakshmi seated atop a meat sandwich below the words, “A snack that’s sacred,” in Spanish.
The HAF leaders are demanding that the international fast food chain discontinue the Spain advertising campaging, asserting that it portrays the Hindu Goddess in a disrespectful way.
A Spanish Hindu, Monica Pahilwani said, “I was horrified to walk by a Burger King store in my neighborhood to discover an image of the same deity that I worship at my home altar, displayed so disrespectfully promoting a meat sandwich.”
Philwani added that a multinational corporation should be more aware of religious sensibilities and should have known how repelling such an ad would be to Hindus.
“Hindu depictions of divinity in the form of Gods and Goddesses are sacred to Hindus,” an HAF press release states. “And the use or consumption of meat in a religious context is generally proscribed. In fact, Hinduism has the highest proportion of vegetarians among the major religious traditions.”
The Hindu American Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism.
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