Tennis star Sania Mirza bowed before public sentiment on Thursday and tendered an 'unequivocal' apology for shooting a commercial at the historic Mecca Mosque in Hyderabad and hurting religious sentiments.
Sania's public apology came barely hours after a case had been registered against the tennis star and the advertising agency, charging them with trespassing on the Mecca Masjid.
The tennis star later sent an e-mail to Hyderabad's Police Commissioner, apologising for the ad shoot "with a deep sense of remorse".
Sania also sent a letter to the Imam of the Masjid, saying: "I would like to apologise to all my brothers and sisters and respected elders who are anguished by my unwittingly entering a portion of the land belonging to Mecca Masjid."
"While I am fully aware that a woman must not enter the sanctity of the mosque, I was unaware that even entering the outside gates of a mosque was seriously objectionable, specially without permission, which I was assured by the agency they possessed."
Sania's public apology came barely hours after a case had been registered against the tennis star and the advertising agency, charging them with trespassing on the Mecca Masjid.
The tennis star later sent an e-mail to Hyderabad's Police Commissioner, apologising for the ad shoot "with a deep sense of remorse".
Sania also sent a letter to the Imam of the Masjid, saying: "I would like to apologise to all my brothers and sisters and respected elders who are anguished by my unwittingly entering a portion of the land belonging to Mecca Masjid."
"While I am fully aware that a woman must not enter the sanctity of the mosque, I was unaware that even entering the outside gates of a mosque was seriously objectionable, specially without permission, which I was assured by the agency they possessed."
tender my apology to all my brothers and sisters for hurting their sentiments," she said.
She, however, maintained that the commercial was aimed at promoting the heritage monument of Charminar, which is a symbol of Hyderabad.
Sania and the ad agency had upset local groups by shooting for an ad at the mosque without taking the requisite permission from the authorities concerned. The shoot evoked strong protest from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.
Mosque employees had alleged that the attitude of some of the members of the shooting unit was objectionable. They were reportedly wearing shoes when they entered the mosque and pushed away a watchman who tried to stop them.
The complaint was filed by the District Minority Welfare Officer Kareemullah, who said: "Sania has hurt the religious sentiments of people visiting the mosque."
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Charminar), B Reddenna, however, said it was a "petty case" involving unauthorised entry and photography. He, however, insisted that "the law will take its course in the matter."
The superintendent of the mosque, Khaja Nayeemuddin, had earlier claimed that he had no information about the shooting and that the advertisement had already been shot before he or other custodians could reach the mosque.
Reddanna says that the unit had obtained permission to shoot in and around Charminar, but not inside the Mecca Masjid.
The ad shoot has also evoked strong protest from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), a powerful Muslim political party in the Muslim-majority old Hyderabad city. The MIM also objected to Sania Mirza's participation in it.
She, however, maintained that the commercial was aimed at promoting the heritage monument of Charminar, which is a symbol of Hyderabad.
Sania and the ad agency had upset local groups by shooting for an ad at the mosque without taking the requisite permission from the authorities concerned. The shoot evoked strong protest from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.
Mosque employees had alleged that the attitude of some of the members of the shooting unit was objectionable. They were reportedly wearing shoes when they entered the mosque and pushed away a watchman who tried to stop them.
The complaint was filed by the District Minority Welfare Officer Kareemullah, who said: "Sania has hurt the religious sentiments of people visiting the mosque."
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Charminar), B Reddenna, however, said it was a "petty case" involving unauthorised entry and photography. He, however, insisted that "the law will take its course in the matter."
The superintendent of the mosque, Khaja Nayeemuddin, had earlier claimed that he had no information about the shooting and that the advertisement had already been shot before he or other custodians could reach the mosque.
Reddanna says that the unit had obtained permission to shoot in and around Charminar, but not inside the Mecca Masjid.
The ad shoot has also evoked strong protest from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), a powerful Muslim political party in the Muslim-majority old Hyderabad city. The MIM also objected to Sania Mirza's participation in it.
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