On the face of it, Kim Kardashian’s trip to Bahrain to promote milkshakes should have been a simple affair right?
But this is Kim Kardashian , and that strange mix of farce meets real life is always a possibility when it comes to reality television stars.
CNN reports that the promoter who arranged the visit has denied that protesters were tear-gassed by police.
The Bahrain stop was one of many on a planned Middle Eastern tour for “Millions of Milkshakes,”a drink franchise owned by entrepreneur Sheeraz Hasan.
On Sunday, the day after Kardashian’s Saturday arrival in Bahrain, Hasan tweeted :
“WHAT PROTESTS?? Kim Kardashian loved by the people of Bahrain wants to return!!”
At present, CNN says that it is unable to confirm reports by a local newspaper that police used tear-gas to break up around 100 Sunni Muslim protesters with anti-Kardashian signs.
However, Sky News reports that protesters who gathered ahead of the 32-year-old reality star’s arrival at an expensive shopping complex in Riffa, Bahrain, were cleared from the area by police using tear-gas.
Kardashian did in fact tweet on Saturday but did not mention anything about any protests. Her tweet read :
“Thanks @sheerazhasan and Paresh A Shah for an amazing trip to The Kingdom of Bahrain and Kuwait. We did it!!!”
During her meet and greet, Kardashian told fans in the mall. “It’s so beautiful here, the people are so amazing.”
The background to religious divisiveness and different tolerance in the region comes down to an ancient schism between Sunni and and Shiite Muslims, although both are denominations of the Islamic faith.
Protests about Kardashian’s visit stemmed from reaction to her glamour girl career and a colorful past that includes a leaked sex-tape featuring her and singer Ray J. Norwood in 2007.
The well-endowed star was also dragged into controversy two weeks ago after she posted Tweets first praying for Israel and then Palestine. After the resulting furore, Kardashian deleted the comments and apologized for causing any offence.
So do you believe the Bahrain trip went off without a hitch, or do you think a positive spin is being put on it to spare Kim’s blushes? Sound off below.
Note: The video linked is a “Millions of Milkshakes” promotion.