Selena Gomez's bindi angers Hindus

By Tony Hicks, Contra Costa Times

Selena Gomez performs "Come and Get It" at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards in Culver City, California April 14, 2013. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) (MTV-SHOW)

Selena Gomez wearing a bindi at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday angered some in the Hindi community.

Justin Bieber's ex-girlfriend wore the traditional forehead decoration with a Bollywood-inspired outfit while performing the song "Come & Get It." And at least one Hindu group wants an apology.

"The bindi on the forehead is an ancient tradition in Hinduism and has religious significance," Rajan Zed, leader of the Universal Society of Hinduism, said in a statement to entertainment news website WENN. "It is also sometimes referred to as the third eye and the flame, and it is an auspicious religious and spiritual symbol.

"It is not meant to be thrown around loosely for seductive effects or as a fashion accessory aiming at mercantile greed," he added. "Selena should apologize and then she should get acquainted with the basics of world religions."

Well she already tried Bieberism, which didn't work out so well for her.

Plenty of people in the Twitterverse weren't thrilled either, according to E! News.

"(expletive) selena gomez? really. bollywood community r u (mad) because you should be," tweeted @reachguest.

Gomez, 20, hasn't tweeted or offered any kind of response. Or perhaps she did, by wearing it again while performing "Come & Get It" on "Ellen" as well as on "Dancing With the Stars."

"Wow @SelenaGomez... 'Come & Get It' on the #mtvmovieawards was incredible! One of my favorite songs out there right now!" tweeted Britney Spears, while Demi Lovato praised the song itself.

According to E!, the Times of India noted the controversy but also proudly detailed the ! influences in the song and Gomez's MTV performance, from the male voice singing in Punjabi with a tabla in the background to her classical Indian dance moves. Continued...

"While some international blogs are calling it 'tribal finery,' we can spot a good bindi when we see it," wrote the Times' Kritika Kapoor.

There you go.

Gomez isn't the first woman in Hollywood to dress this way. Julia Roberts, Katy Perry, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Miley Cyrus and Jessica Simpson have all been photographed over the years sporting bindis.