Rihanna at The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Barbadian recording artist, actress, and fashion designer Robyn Rihanna Fenty  stage name Rihanna was asked to leave the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque after posing for a series of pictures that staff said did not ‘conform to conditions’ put in place to protect the sanctuary of the religious monument.

Dressed in an all-black outfit that covered her arms, legs and hair, the Umbrella singer is seen pouting and lying down in the courtyard in the shots, which appeared on her Instagram account. The Bajan star visited the mosque before her Abu Dhabi concert and posed for the photographs which some have deemed “disrespectful” at a place of worship.

A statement issued by the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre said: “The Centre strives to ensure that visitors enter the mosque in a decent fashion, and refrain from behaving in any way that is inconsistent with the sanctity of this religious place. In the event of behaviour that violates the moral codes of access to the mosque, or other visit regulations – such as taking inappropriate pictures, posing in ways that are improper in the context of sacred place, talking loudly, or eating – the violators are directed in a polite manner that reflects the civilisational and tolerant attributes of Islam. Usually, the visitors are appreciative of that.

“Here, the Centre refers to a recent incident, involving a singer who came for a private visit to the mosque, at a gate that is not reserved for visitors, without prior coordination with the Centre’s management and without identifying herself.

“She was directed by visitor services to proceed to the visitors’ main gate and take the guided tour, according to procedure. She left without entering the mosque, after being asked to do so, due to the fact that she had taken some pictures that do not conform with the conditions and regulations put in place by the Centre’s management to regulate visits in a way that takes the status and sanctity of the mosque into consideration.”

“While the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre always welcomes visitors and tourists from all around the world, it also calls on everyone to adhere to the moral codes of access to the mosque and to its visit regulations, which the Centre always makes sure are clear to all its visitors throughout the day.”