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Burger King advertising in Spain angers Hindus
July 7, 2009
Upset over an advertisement in Spain that depicted the Hindu goddess Lakshmi seated atop a meat sandwich, leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) have asked that Burger King pull an advertisement campaign it deemed "highly disrespectful and offensive to Hindus worldwide," the organization has announced.
The foundation was alerted by its membership in Spain of a print advertisement depicting an image of the Hindu goddess sitting on a ham sandwich with the catch phrase, "A snack that's sacred," in Spanish.
Hindu depictions of divinity in the form of gods and goddesses are sacred to Hindus, and the use or consumption of meat in a religious context is generally proscribed. Hinduism also has the highest proportion of vegetarians among the major religious traditions.
Burger King Corp. provided QSRweb.com with the following statement:
"Burger King Corp. values and respects all of its guests as well as the communities we serve. This in-store advertisement was running to support a limited-time only local promotion for three restaurants in Spain and was not intended to offend anyone. Out of respect for the Hindu community, the in-store advertisement has been removed from the restaurants."
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