LONDON, U.K. - British authorities banned a television advert for a furniture shop Wednesday after ruling that its distortion of religious verses was likely to offend Sikhs.The ad for The Sofa Factory in Britain's second city Birmingham showed an image of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, and featured a song in the style of the Gurmantar, the Sikh sacred verses.
It was aired on Sangat Television, a Sikh lifestyle channel based in the central English city.
- The lyrics in Punjabi were: "True name of God is 'You are wondrous'; come to The Sofa Factory in Birmingham; measure and make your corner sofas; reupholster your older sofas; change the foam and springs.
- "My father Sarvan Singh sowed the seeds of this business; I come from the village Kooner Dhanni; come on Dad; I get plenty of your love and good wishes, plenty of love; you are my guru, my true guru. Sofa Factory."
- The Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint from a viewer who challenged whether the advert's use of Guru Nanak and the Gurmantar was offensive.
The ASA said: "We considered that the use of the central icon of the Sikh faith and the use and distortion of religious verses to advertise products made light of those important elements of the Sikh faith in a way that was likely to cause serious offence to some members of the Sikh community."It ruled that the ad must not appear again. The Birmingham local authority has more Sikh residents than any other in Britain.
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