Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Freethinker

Home
Nonreligious
Hypersensitive group targets ‘offensive-to-Hindus’ Brahma beer

Hypersensitive group targets ‘offensive-to-Hindus’ Brahma beer

Last updated on: July 16, 2020 at 1:45 am by Barry Duke

Hypersensitive group targets ‘offensive-to-Hindus’ Brahma beer 2020-07-16T01:45:35+02:00 Barry Duke

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

WHEN representatives of various faith groups – normally at loggerheads with each other and sometimes murderously so – unite against a common enemy, you just know some innocent party will start getting bullied.

Image via YouTube

This week it was Belgium-based brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV that got to feel the collective wrath of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain religions because it sells a brand called Brahma – and has been doing since 1888!

Beers sold under the Brahma name include a lager, a double malt, a wheat beer and a chocolate stout, all named after a smart English geezer called Joseph Bramah, who invented the draft pump valve.

But the unnamed and ooh-so-touchy “interfaith coalition” is convinced that the name belongs exclusively to Lord Brahma, Hinduism’s four-headed god of creation, and wants the brewer to find a new name for the product.

Images via YouTube

Head of the coalition is notorious Hindu rabble-rouser Rajan Zed, pictured above with the mythological Brama, who bleated:

It is the right time to fix an old wrong – the trivializing of the faith of our Hindu brothers and sisters for about 132 years.

Zed insisted that Lord Brahma is a highly revered figure who should be worshipped in temples or home shrines and:

Not misused as a ‘toasting tool’.

He said the coalition also objects to what it calls “raunchy” marketing of the brand by using the image of a scantily clad woman to promote the beers.

Scantily clad? But, but … Hinduism is awash with bare-breasted women.

Oh, Mr Zed, the company does a lot worse than that! Hop over to YouTube and you can see how it amusingly uses voodoo to promote the brand.

;

Zed added:

Anheuser-Busch InBev should not be in the business of religious appropriation, sacrilege and ridiculing entire communities.

The coalition called on the company:

To prove that it cares about communities by renaming its Brahma beer.

But Lucas Rossi, Head of Cmmunications for Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Latin America subsidiary, appears not be be intimidated.

After explaining that the spelling was changed from Bramah to Brahma to make the name work better in the Portuguese language, and that the Brahma brand s “very important to the culture” of Brazil which has a tiny minority of Hindus.

Zed is unimpressed, and insists the name offends regardless of its origins. He huffed:

The stated history behind the name does not reduce the pain of the Hindu devotees when they see their creator god on alcohol cans.

Zed, based in Nevada and is the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, has campaigned against what he considers the misuse of Eastern religious imagery for commercial purposes for several years.

In 2019, he extracted an apology from a Virginia brewery that produced a beer named for another Hindu deity. The brouhaha erupted after Zed said that associating Lord Hanuman with alcohol was disrespectful.

On July 1 it was reported that the same interfaith coalition launched a separate campaign aimed at pressuring Foundation Room and House of Blues nightclubs in Boston and other cities to stop using sacred Buddhist and Hindu imagery as decor. The upscale watering holes are managed by Beverly Hills, California-based Live Nation Entertainment, which apologised and said it was removing some statues from the clubs.

At the time Zed said:

Symbols of faith shouldn’t be mishandled. Hindu deities are meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines – not to be thrown around loosely in a nightclub for dramatic effect.

Cowardly capitulations to petulant, infantile purveyors of silly superstitions just encourages more of the same sort of annoying snowflakery. They should be dismissed with two words: No prizes for guessing what they are.

Hat tip: Robert Stovold

• If you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee – and boy, do I get through a LOT of coffee keeping this site active – please click the link below.

I’d love a cup of coffee

Previous Post

July 15, 2020

A witch hunter, a humanist and a $52-million lawsuit

Next Post

July 16, 2020 Six months' prison for blogger who parodied koranic verse

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Archive My Atheism News Opinion Reviews Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 March 2007 April 2006 February 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the most common staple grain in ancient Israel?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Barley Rice Oats Wheat

Books by This Author Books by The Freethinker

See All Titles »