So, Rihanna came to Abu Dhabi and performed Saturday night, and it only seemed as if half the sports staff attended the event — which went off well, according to The National’s reviewer … but not without some drama in the crowd, which was not entirely ready to deal with standing, mostly, on a hot and humid night.

Still, after all that, the real attention-grabbing event happened today — a photo shoot that offended many people — at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the best-known landmark in the UAE capital.

And now?

Observant Muslims and her fans (some of whom belong to both groups, like a young Saudi quoted from the concert) are arguing about whether the photos are an insult to religion and culture.

If you followed the link (above) to the story about the photo shoot, towards the end of the story the writer found opinions on both sides of the question.

One wrote: “I love Rihanna but then posing so seductively in front of the mosque is so disrespectful.”

Another drew a completely different conclusion: “I don’t see how Rihanna posing adjacent to a mosque in Abu Dhabi is disrespectful.”

And a third asked a question that perhaps is most pertinent to the whole of the discussion: “Who let her in?”

As best we can reconstruct events, Rihanna and her handlers — and let’s assume this was not a party of only two or three people — asked to enter the mosque through an entry way not normally used by the public, and was turned down.

That led to Rihanna posing outside of the mosque. Perhaps on the grounds, but not inside the mosque itself. Eventually, it seems, she was asked to leave.

Another topic of debate was her attire.

Women are expected to be covered, including something covering their hair, when going into the mosque. (Bare arms, shorts and short dresses are prohibited at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, too.)

Rihanna was OK, by the basic definition of that request. The only part of her body exposed is her face. She was, by a long ways, far more modestly attired than at the concert, the night before.

However, she is not wearing what would qualify as religious garments; observers noted, no doubt correctly, that her outfit was meant to draw attention.

And there also is the matter of some of the photos taken of her, by her own people, and posted on instagram — which show her lying down.

So, the debate rages.

The UAE has yet to really figure out what it wants from pop stars, especially Western pop stars. (Rihanna is from Barbados, in the Caribbean.)

Snoop Dogg was invited to Abu Dhabi, two years ago, and some were offended/surprised that he used profanity. Many of the same people were appalled that he appeared in stage in an approximation of traditional regional dress, the kandura.

It should be noted, however, that people just passing through, including football fans from Europe or the Americas (some of whom wore kanduras at the Fifa Club World Cup in 2010, don’t bother to check closely about local customs or preferences. They are pop stars making short stops on a long tour.

The best way to forestall scandalous behavior by pop stars is … not to invite them to play in the country. At all.

But as long as enough people care enough to make a stop in the UAE worthwhile, it is to be expected that they are going to do something (and perhaps several somethings) that the more devout are going to be offended by.

And, end of day, it only generates more attention for the performer.