India raises 'offensive' lamb advert with Australia

  • 11 September 2017
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  • From the sectionAustralia

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India has lodged a diplomatic protest with Australia over an advert depicting the Hindu god Ganesha enjoying lamb.
The TV advert, by a meat industry lobby group, portrays figures from several religions sitting down to a meal.
It has caused anger within the Hindu community in Australia because Ganesha is never depicted eating meat.
The High Commission of India in Canberra said it had made a "demarche" to three Australian government departments.
It also urged Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) to withdraw the advertisement because many people considered it "offensive and hurting their religious sentiments".
"A number of community associations have also registered their protest with government of Australia and Meat and Livestock Australia," the high commission said in a statement.
The advert shows religious figures including Jesus, Buddha and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard talking and eating at a table. It makes a brief reference that the Prophet Muhammed "cannot make it".
Australia's Advertising Standards Bureau said the advert had attracted more than 30 complaints relating to "a number of faiths".

A still from a lamb advert depicting various religious figures sharing a mealImage copyrightMEAT & LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA
Image captionVarious religious figures are depicted sharing the meal

The Hindu Council of Australia said it was a "crude and deplorable attempt" to use images of Ganesha to promote lamb consumption.
One online petition to ban the advert has attracted more than 4,400 signatures.
Australian man Kapil Sachdeva told the BBC he had started the petition after seeing widespread anger on social media.
He also criticised the advert for being released days after the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, which celebrates Ganesha's birthday.

Past controversy

The MLA defended the advert last week, saying it had aimed to promote diversity and unity.
"The campaign features gods, prophets and deities from across a wide range of religions alongside atheism, in a clearly fantastic nature, with the intent of being as inclusive as possible," spokesman Andrew Howie said in a statement.
"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."
Last year, the group drew controversy for an Australia Day advert criticised as offensive to both vegans and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
Citation: 
“India Raises 'Offensive' Lamb Advert with Australia.” BBC News, BBC, 11 Sept. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-41169928.
Response:
Published by BBC, the article would be expecting a global audience and their wide-ranging topic would easily draw in people with strong religious affiliations. I think aimed at the younger generations of individuals who are zealous about their faith and adamant about defending it. This article has the potential to evoke much emotion from people from any sort of religious background - which encompasses much of the global population. In this particular instance, Indians and Australians under this description would 
The writer isn't specified in the article, but it is clear that he/she is approaching the issue from the standpoint of agreeing with the anger of those offended by the advertisement and criticizing the insensitivity of MLA. A possible source of this bias could be his/her personal religious beliefs or even a hyper-awareness that comes from a career of producing articles and works that won't be offensive to others. 
As a global source of news, BBC desires to draw in a large audience and address news that would be relevant across the board. Another aspect of their bias comes with the way that they approach religion, accepting every type and promoting inclusion. This article could stem from those views on the way that everyone's religion should be respected.
My own bias comes from a lifestyle that includes a great focus on religion and constant input about the importance of respect and sensitivity in that area. I think that the advertisement is shocking in the way that they didn't seem to even consider the beliefs of the other side. It shows a high level of ignorance that they thought the advertisement would even promote their ideas. From my perspective, it just reveals both laziness (in that they wouldn't even put in accurate research about the religions depicted), and a lack of awareness about society outside their own worldview. To talk about religion at all requires a certain amount of carefulness, and even more so in such a public manner. 

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