By Suzy Byrne | The Juice

Rihanna (Instagram)

Rihanna — who isn't known for being overly considerate of others (including her own fans) — pushed the boundaries again. This time, however, authorities pushed back.

The pop princess was asked to leaveAbu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque complex on Friday when she attempted to pose for an unauthorized photo shoot at the place of worship.

Posing in a black jumpsuit with a wrap that covered her head, the star still managed to look rather sultry as she stared into the camera, caressed her hips, and even rolled around on the floor a little. She completed her look with a giant gold necklace and bright red lips that were positioned in a bedroom pout.

Staff reportedly spotted her and requested that she leave the compound because her actions were considered to not be in line with the "sanctity" of the site. And while RiRi wasted no time tossing up the pics on Instagram, the mosque publicly addressed the situation as well, releasing a statement to explain its position — not that it needed much explanation.

"In the event of behavior that violates the moral codes of access to the mosque, or other visit regulations — such as taking inappropriate pictures, posing in ways that are improper in the context of sacred place, talking loudly, or eating — the violators are directed in a polite manner that reflects the civilizational and tolerant attributes of Islam."

According to the authorities, Rihanna showed up "for a private visit to the mosque, at a gate that is not reserved for visitors, without prior coordination with the Centre’s management and without identifying herself." It does concede, however, that the 25-year-old star did leave "without entering the mosque, after being asked to do so." So … that's good at least.
Still, the tide may be turning against the self-described bad girl, as even fans seem to be getting fed up with her diva behavior. Just two days after the mosque incident, Rihanna's performance in Johannesburg, South Africa, proved to be pretty disastrous.

The city's biggest newspaper, The Star, ran an article on its front page called Ri-Ri Rip-Off slamming the singer for her "obvious" lip-synching and calling the show "below par."

One fan explained, "I think she was actually lip-synching because, at some points, the words of the song were happening but she wasn’t singing along. I don’t know if she was doing it for the whole show." According to another, she wasn't. "You knew she was singing because she wasn’t always on key," Nicole Contini quipped.

And this is hardly the first time the singer has taken heat for a lackluster show. For the last year, she has been nearly chronically late to her own concerts and has yet to apologize once.

Which makes it pretty much par for the course that she has yet to respond to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque's statement or even take the photos down. Back in July, we asked when fans would say enough is enough. Soon, we may get our answer.

Visiting times

General visiting hours are from Sat - Thurs 9am to 10pm and you may walk through on your own. Last entry is 9.30pm.

NOTE: The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is closed for tourism activities (and open for worship) on Friday morning and opens again at 4:30 pm.

Daily visiting times: (From Sat - Thu)

Visiting Times (Sat - Thu)
From	To
9:00 am	10:00 pm

Friday's visiting time:

Friday's visiting time
From	To
4:30 pm	10:00 pm

Daily ‘walk-in’ tour schedule:

Days	Times
Sunday - Thursday	10am, 11am and 5pm
Friday	5pm, 7pm
Saturday	10am, 11am 2pm, 5pm and 7pm

Guided tours

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center’s complimentary guided tours are relaxed, fun, enlightening, and interactive, making them one of the UAE’s most loved cultural activities for all ages! Every day the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center offers free guided ‘walk-in’ tours for individuals and groups of up to ten persons.

Complimentary 'walk-in' guided tours are:

Sunday – Thursday: 10am, 11am and 5pm*

Friday: 5pm, 7.30pm**

Saturday: 10am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm*, 7.30pm**

* This tour time varies between 4.30 and 5pm depending on the time of the year. The current time is 5.00pm.

** This tour time varies between 7.30 and 8pm depending on the time of the year. The current time is 7.30pm.

Ramadaan schedule for complimentary 'walk-in' guided tours are:

General opening hours: 9am - 12pm

Tours: Saturday – Thursday: 10am and 11am

Friday: Closed for Visitor Services

It is important to arrive to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque 15 minutes before the tour you wish to join in order to avoid any delay and to have the time to take pictures in the best photo opportunity of the SZGM.

When you arrive, one of our Visitor Experience Coordinators will greet you and direct you to one of our SZGMC Guide team.

Drive and park

Enter the SOUTH car park entrance (No. 7) which is signposted – this is on the Khaleej Al Arabi (St #30) side of the mosque. When you enter the main gate, all visitors will be directed to park on the right (east side) of the car park, which is the easiest access to visitor services.

Walk to the tour start point

From the car park, to the ‘east dressing station’ (located on the opposite side to the main prayer halls - the main domes), where you will be provided in traditional dress. Please ask any of the ground team and they will direct you to this point.

Visitor experience coordinator (VEC)

Your tour will commence on the EAST side so once you have you dress on you can meet the Visitor Experience Coordinator and your Culture Guide (Look for the ‘Tour Starts Here’ sign. Photos can be taken while you wait for your tour to start!

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are accessible on the EAST side, under the north/east (female) and south/east (male) minarets (towers).

Larger groups and private bookings

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center welcomes group bookings; government delegations, educational institutions and private corporate bookings. Advanced booking is required and is subject to availability.

A minimum of seven days’ notice is required. Group organisers should consider alternative dates and times before calling to make a booking.

Important note: We do not offer private bookings for general public; however, we have Culture Guides available during the ‘walk-in’ public tour times to ensure that you can experience a guided tour.

Book online