Selena Gomez receives backlash after Instagram picture that infuriated Muslims during visit to Abu Dhabi mosque

Selena Gomez was so heavily criticized for posting pictures of herself flashing her ankle inside Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque on Instagram that she appears to have deleted the evidence altogether.

A second picture, showing Gomez and fellow musicians Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Cody Simpson and Shay Mitchell smiling and striking poses has also been lambasted but remained on her Instagram Thursday.

Mosque visiting rules strictly ban all 'intimate behavior' including holding hands and kissing, and states that all skirts must be ankle-length.

Commenting on the picture, Alaa Almitwally said: 'Disrecpectful! It's a religion place not a place to have fun in, so disappointed.'

Meanwhile another user, Ayisha Elturk, said: 'If their intent was to learn about Islam they wouldn't be posing like they were standing outside and amusement park.

'I like Selena Gomez but to have her do something like this makes me no longer a fan.'

However, not everyone was critical of the pictures, with user Lemouza adding: 'They're not disrespectful. Hundreds of thousand of people visit Sheikh Zayed's mosque in Abu Dhabi.

'It's a place of worship, yes I know, but God never forbade the entry of other religions into any mosque. So please respect the fact that they actually want to get to know Islam and its beauty.'