Kim Kardashian has never been known for her smarts, and this time she may have risked her life. Just weeks after causing controversy on Twitter by weighing in on the Gaza conflict, she decided to visit Bahrain to launch a "milkshake empire."
According to Reuters, fans came out to see the Kardashian daughter, but many other groups did as well, including "angry Muslim hardliners." The event ended up with police and the protesters throwing stun grenades at each other.
"About 100 Sunni Salafists demonstrated with banners outside The Walk Bahrain, an upmarket mall in the capital Manama," said Reuters, "after some MPs [members of parliament] tried to block the visit over what they called her 'bad reputation,' according to a local newspaper."
The Bahraini fans, thousands of them, reportedly paid up to $1,360 a ticket to attend the event, which had Kardashian launching a "Millions of Milkshakes" franchise in a local mall.
"Witnesses said police dispersed the demonstrators with stun grenades as the inauguration proceeded inside. There were no reports of casualties," said Reuters. "Kardashian stirred controversy even before she arrived in Bahrain from Kuwait, where she opened another store last week."
Local politicians even attempted to pass a motion in parliament, calling her "an actress with an extremely bad reputation," said Reuters. But according to Bahraini newspaper Gulf Daily News, parliament did not end up voting on the motion.
The newspaper also reported that numerous fans took to Twitter to say that parliament should be focusing its time on real issues rather than on someone like Kardashian, who was visiting the country for just a short time.
"Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, is trying to overcome nearly two years of unrest among its majority Shi'ite Muslims." They are "demanding political reforms and equality with the Sunni Muslims who rule the kingdom," said Reuters.
Kardashian has not commented on the controversy.