Burger King's Goddess Laksmi ad in Spain offends Hindus

Burger King ads have drawn flack from Hindus in Spain. The in store Burger King ads in Spain depicted Hindu goddess Lakshmi atop a ham sandwich -- with the caption "a snack that is sacred".

Burger King,  runs a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants in more than 70 countries, immediately announced that it would pull the ads and said in a statement, "Burger King Corporation 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."

Burger King spokeswoman Denise Wilson explained that the work was done by a "locally based Spain agency" and not US agency  Crispin Porter & Bogusky.

This is not the first time that Burger King ads have run foul of ethnic sentiments; in April 2009 it pulled out a European TV spot for its Texican Whopper that had proved offensive to Hispanics. The ad featuered a small, masked wrestler draped in a Mexican flag being carried around by a tall gent in jeans and a cowboy hat.

The next one was the chain's online promotion of "Star Trek" in May, in which the chain's iconic King character kicked a succession of people in the crotch.

Last month brought "The 7-incher," a promotion in Singapore for a long, fat burger that was sure to "blow your mind away." A woman's head with an awed, open mouth accompanied the picture of the sandwich.

Burger King's statement at the time carried the same refrain, "Burger King Corporation values and respects all of its guests. This advertisement is running to support a limited promotion in the Singapore market and is not running in the US or any other markets. It was produced by a locally based Singapore agency and not by BKC's US advertising agency of record, Crispin Porter & Bogusky."