Selena Gomez has recently become the target of serious criticism for allegedly insulting the Muslim culture when she visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

The source of the problem concerns a pair of photos posted on Instagram earlier this week. In one photo, the "Heart Wants What It Wants" singer is shown smiling and happy with a group of her friends. Worse, one of the girls in Selena's entourage is shown flashing a bare ankle. In the Muslim culture, laughing in a mosque is considered disrespectful on its own, but showing a bare ankle is a direct insult.

In another picture, the pop star was photographed showing off her own bare ankle in Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque. She posed with a fellow musician, both in traditional Muslim garb. This photo received the brunt of the fire for its disrespect. Several Instagram users made their opinions known. One user said, "The thing is, whichever religion you are, respect others and their beliefs!"

The offending picture was taken down from Instagram quickly, but the group shot was left up despite the angry comments. Instagram users continue to accuse Selena of being inappropriate in the mosque. One user posted, "Just because you're not Muslim doesn't mean you don't have to follow Muslim traditions in a Muslim place."

Selena Gomez didn't react to the controversy besides deleting one of the photos from her Instagram account. Her latest posts show her having some harmless fun on the beach with her friends. The singer's deleted post can still be found on multiple sites, such as the Daily Mail Online.