India has made a formal diplomatic complaint to the Australian government over a “crude and deplorable” lamb advert featuring the vegetarian Hindu god Ganesha.
The ad, released by Meat and Livestock Australia, shows the elephant-headed deity sitting down for a lamb lunch alongside Jesus, Zeus and a host other religious figures. At the end of the advert, the various religious figures toast lamb as “the meat we can all eat”.
Not so, say some members of Australia’s Hindu community. The faith generally portrays Ganesha as a vegetarian. Although the deity is not shown actually consuming meat in the advert, bare bones can be seen on his plate.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Hindu Council of Australia said the “crude and deplorable” advert had “outraged and angered the entire Hindu community in Australia and overseas” and urged Australian Hindus to contact their MPs.
However, some commenters objected to the council’s characterisation. “The entire Hindu community is NOT offended,” one commenter wrote, while another said the advert was “super funny”.
The advert has also attracted the displeasure of India, home to 1 billion of the world’s 1.15 billion Hindus.
The High Commission of India in Canberra said it had made a formal diplomatic representation - a “demarche” in consular jargon - to three Australian government departments, the BBC reports. The Commission said that showing Ganesha joining other deities in a toast to lamb, “hurt the religious sentiments of the Indian community”.
MLA spokesman Andrew Howie defended the advert, saying the various deities were depicted in “a clearly fantastic nature”.
“Our intent is never to offend, but rather acknowledge that lamb is a meat consumed by a wide variety of cultures and capture how the world could look if people left their differing views at the door and came to the table with open arms, and minds,” he said.
The Australian Advertising Standards Bureau said it had received around 50 complaints about the advert regarding “a number of faiths”, says News.com.au.
The ad also portrays Buddha, a Jedi knight and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, while one character comments that the Prophet Mohammed “can’t make an appearance” - a reference to Islam’s strict prohibition on depictions of the Prophet.
-
One great cookbook: Joshua McFadden’s ‘Six Seasons of Pasta’the week recommends The pasta you know and love. But ever so much better.
-
Scientists are worried about amoebasUnder the radar Small and very mighty
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
