Roberto Cavalli perfume symbol offends school of Islamic Sufism

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli has been accused of hijacking a symbol used by a school of Sufism to promote his Just Cavalli perfume.

The group Sufi Rights said on its website that it was working with the students to highlight the "offence Roberto Cavalli ... has caused by using their emblem". Sufism is a branch of Islam.

The group's comments follow a social media campaign by the students, with the Twitter hashtag #TakeOffJustLogo.

Sufi Rights describes its objective as providing a voice to Sufis by "protecting the sanctity of their faith" and raising awareness about its misrepresentation.

According to the organisation, the designer has rotated the symbol of the MTO Shahmaghsoudi School of Islamic Sufism - two arcs linked in the middle - by 90 degrees to come up with the one used on his perfume.

The school, which grew out of the Iranian diaspora, has branches in several countries.