Hindu society offended by Belgian beer label

A group of Hindus has requested that Belgian brewery The Musketeers from the East Flemish town of Ursel remove the image of the god Ganesha from the label of its Jack's Precious IPA beer, reports Rajan Zed, founder of the Universal Society of Hinduism, which represents Hindus from all over the world. Zed calls the image of Ganesha "very inappropriate" for a beer label, and asks that the brewery offer its apologies.

The label depicts Ganesha with a cleaver in one hand and a sausage in the other. The image is inappropriate, according to Zed, because using Hindu deities for commercial purposes is offensive to followers of Hinduism.

"Ganesha is deeply revered in Hinduism and must be worshiped in temples or shrines in people's homes, and not used to sell beer out of commercial greed," he explains. "Linking Ganesha with an alcoholic drink is also very disrespectful."

"Hinduism is the oldest living and third largest religion in the world with about one billion followers and a rich philosophical thought, and should not be taken lightly,” Zed adds. “Symbols of any faith, whether big or small, may not be misused.”