Angostura yesterday pulled an advertisement with the image of Lord Krishna after protests by the Sanatan Maha Sabha and Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO).

The two-page ad uses images of Lord Krishna and baby Jesus to promote its "Divine Child through the Ages" exhibition at its compound at Laventille.

The opposite page has images of various Angostura products.

At the request of the SDMS, a meeting was held by IRO members representing different faiths to discuss the ad. Brother Noble Khan said members were unanimous in the view that the advertisement went "far beyond the framework of what advertising should be."

The advertisement, Brother Khan said, sought to "create a nexus between alcohol and the respective faiths.

"In our country we treat with respect and understanding the religious icons of all our people," he said.

In its letter to Angostura, the SDMS called the ad a "blatant irreligious act by a public company" and threatened to put in place a national boycott of all Angostura products.

SMDS general secretary Sat Maharaj said the ad also went beyond good taste by featuring religious icons together with images folklore characters like Papa Bois which form part of the company’s museum.

Maharaj said while the SDMS appreciated the move by Angostura to pull the ad, it was unfortunate that it was created at all. "Somebody has to have a wrong concept of people living in Trinidad and Tobago, he said. "Somebody has to be completely off key."

In a letter from Angostura, the company’s chief operating officer Godfrey Bain apologised for any discomfort caused.

"We are in no way seeking to benefit from the use of religious sentiments to further ourselves, but on the contrary we are seeking to bring together the national community in appreciation of the commonalities that we all share," he said.

Checks with the Advertising Association revealed that the association had not been informed about the objections to the ad.