Rihanna 'asked to leave' Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque

Pop princess Rihanna sells albums with her sultry, attention-grabbing poses. But this time in the United Arab Emirates, her pouts and poses got her into trouble.

Rihanna was asked to leave Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque complex for posing for "inappropriate" pictures outside one of the world's largest Muslim places of worship.

Authorities said they had taken action before the Barbadian singer entered the mosque itself, which is not off-limits to non-Muslims and has become a major tourist attraction in the United Arab Emirates capital.

The, social media pro-active, diva remains silent on this issue.

The 25-year-old, who performed live in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, posted the pictures on online photo-sharing site Instagram.

She posed in a black jumpsuit in the courtyard of the mosque, wearing crimson lipstick and nail polish. She had a huge golden neck piece dangling and calling for attention.

She covered her head in all of the photographs but the poses could be regarded as suggestive.

In one photo, she is lying on her back in front of a pool. She captioned it "no tan lines."

In another shot, her arms are akimbo as she glances over her shoulder.

In another picture, she is seen lying down on her back in the courtyard of the mosque, while in another she sits on the ground with her arms crossed on her chest.

In a statement posted on its website, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre said: "The singer entered on a private visit without introducing herself and without prior coordination with the adminstration.

"She was asked to leave before entering the mosque after she posed in ways that do not match the sacred status" of the complex, the statement said.

The centre said it worked to ensure that no visitor "fails to meet the standards of decency required to enter the mosque, such as by posing for inappropriate photographs or by sitting in disrespectful positions."

The pictures sparked controversy among fans on Rihanna's Instagram account.

"She thinks she's sunbathing on a beach in Miami!" said one Arabic-language comment.

Asa Fitch‏ wrote: Not sure what to make of @Rihanna doing a photo shoot in front of Sheikh Zayed mosque

Indah Karmela wrote: "I love @rihanna but then posing so seductively in front of the mosque is so disrespectful!! (sic)".

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