( CNN ) -- Kim Kardashian 's weekend visit to promote milkshakes in Bahrain drew a large crowd of excited fans , but the promoter who brought the Hollywood reality star to the island Gulf state denied a report of protesters being tear-gassed by police . Kardashian , 32 , stopped in Bahrain Saturday as part of a Middle Eastern promotional tour for Millions of Milkshakes , a franchise created and owned by businessman Sheeraz Hasan . `` WHAT PROTESTS ? ? Kim Kardashian loved by the people of Bahrain & wants to return ! ! '' Hasan said in a Twitter posting Sunday . CNN has been unable to independently confirm the reports , all of which are ultimately attributed to an unidentified `` local newspaper , '' that police used tear-gas grenades to disperse 100 Shiite Muslim protesters with anti-Kardashian signs before her arrival at a high-end shopping complex in Riffa , Bahrain . Read more : Kim Kardashian shakes Bahrain . Kardashian , whose reps did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment Sunday , did tweet about her visit Saturday , not addressing the protest report : `` Thanks @ sheerazhasan and Paresh A Shah for an amazing trip to The Kingdom of Bahrain and Kuwait . We did it ! ! ! '' Kardashian , who initially gained notoriety when a sex tape with singer Ray J. Norwood leaked in 2007 , told fans gathered in the mall . `` It 's so beautiful here , the people are so amazing . '' Shiites are two-thirds of Bahrain 's population , but it is ruled by a Sunni royal family . The split between Sunni and Shiite Muslims , the two major denominations of the Islamic faith , dates back to the 7th century when the two sects were divided over who should lead the nascent religion following the Prophet Mohammed 's death . Shiite Muslims believed a direct descendent of the prophet should lead , while Sunnis believed there was no rightful successor and that one should be selected by followers . The schism culminated in a war that forever split the sects . Shiite groups have conducted public protests demanding greater economic opportunities , including jobs , housing and political rights . `` Protests stem from a population who feel they are being treated as second-class citizens , not because they have different interpretations of the Quran , '' said Jane Kinninmont , senior research fellow at British think tank Chatham House , in a CNN interview last year . Journalist Susannah Palk contributed to this report .
`` WHAT PROTESTS ? ? Kim Kardashian loved by the people of Bahrain , '' promoter tweets . Reports quote a local newspaper saying tear gas was used to disperse protesters . CNN has not independently confirmed police used tear gas on Kardashian protesters . Kardashian visited Bahrain to promote a new milkshake shop at a Bahrain mall .