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Jay Leno skit showed the Golden Temple as the summer home of Republican candidate Mitt Romney

 

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US comedian Jay Leno sued over Golden Temple joke

Washington, Jan 25, 2011:

An Indian American has filed a lawsuit in California suing US comedian Jay Leno for what he calls “racist” comments on the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Leno “hurt the sentiments of all Sikh people in addition to the plaintiff”, says Randeep Dhillon in his lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday, seeking unspecified damages, according to TMZ.com.

A recent Leno skit showed the shrine as the summer home of Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who has faced questions over his wealth and Sikhs are angry that the temple was shown as a place for the rich.

Leno’s joke “clearly exposes plaintiff, other Sikhs and their religion to hatred, contempt, ridicule and obloquy because it falsely portrays the holiest place in the Sikh religion as a vacation resort owned by a non-Sikh”, Dhillon said in his petition.

Indian Deputy Chief of Mission here Arun Kumar Singh met US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake Tuesday and conveyed India’s objection to Leno passing off a visual of the Golden Temple as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s vacation home.

The Indian Mission has also written a “strong letter” to NBC, which broadcast Leno’s “The Tonight Show” featuring the joke Thursday.

Meanwhile, US based Sikh group, Sikhs for Justice lodged a complaint with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against Leno’s objectionable depiction of Golden Temple.

The SFJ complaint states that “Jay Leno’s depiction of Golden Temple as the home of the rich is racist, derogatory, defamatory, contrary to the reality, inimical to the principles of Sikhism, and thus hurtful to the sentiments of the Sikh community”.

The complaint demands imposition of sanctions against Jay Leno for spreading racism and against NBC for airing contents ridiculing a place of worship......IANS////NRIpress.com
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Sikh group seeks apology from Jay Leno for Golden Temple remark

Amritsar, Jan 25, 2012
Amid growing protest from the Sikh community against US chat show host Jay Leno for his remarks on the holiest of Sikh shrines – the Golden Temple, a Sikh group here has sought an apology from Leno and asked the US administration not to defend him.

Kanwarpal Singh, secretary-political affairs of Sikh group Dal Khalsa, said here: “Freedom of speech and expression is not a licence to offend. We are distressed to note that instead of taking a stand against the unwanted, unnecessary reference to the holiest shrine by NBC commentator Jay Leno, the US government has officially defended the comments.”

During his show last week, Leno passed off a visual of the Golden Temple as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s vacation home.

Singh said this was not the first time that Leno had made snide remarks against the Sikh community.

He said that the reference to Golden Temple, the Vatican of the Sikhs, has deeply hurt the sentiments of the entire Sikh community, including Sikh-Americans.

“Sikh diaspora will continuously campaign till Jay Leno and the NBC apologises and the American government regrets its defence of the comedian,” he added....IANS////NRIpress.com
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US defends Jay Leno's `satirical' comments on Golden Temple


Washington, Jan 24, 2012

The US has come to the defence of US television host Jay Leno and said the visual of Golden Temple in Amritsar during "The Tonight Show" was a "satirical" reference to Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's vacation home.

File PhotoWhile the US had "absolute respect" for the people of India, including Sikhs, "The Tonight Show" host's comments "are constitutionally protected in the United States under free speech", State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters Monday.

The US, she said, had so far "had not had any communications from the Indian government" on the controversial comments that have angered the Sikh community in the US which has launched an online petition against Leno.

Asked about the US government's stand on the issue, Nuland said: "Well, I think that Mr. Leno would be appreciative - I hope he'll be appreciative - if we make the point that his comments are constitutionally protected in the United States under free speech, and frankly, they appear to be satirical in nature." "But from a US official government perspective, we have absolute respect for all the people of India, including Sikhs here, there," she said.

Noting that President Barack Obama was the first president ever to host a celebration in honour of the first Sikh guru Guru Nanak, Nuland said "our view is, obviously, that Sikh Americans have contributed greatly to the United States".

Visiting Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi had Sunday asked the Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao to take up with the State Department the issue, featured on Leno's show Thursday.

"It is quite unfortunate and quite objectionable that such a comment has been made after showing the Golden Temple," Ravi told Indian reporters here. "The Golden Temple is Sikh community's most sacred place. Even our prime minister went there for praying in the New Year. I believe that the person who has shown it is not that ignorant. The American government should also look at this kind of thing," Ravi had said...IANS////NRIpress.com
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India objects to US TV host''s joke on Golden Temple

Washington, Jan 23, 2012:

India has objected to US television host Jay Leno passing off a visual of the Golden Temple in Amritsar as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney''s vacation home, terming it "quite unfortunate".

Visiting Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said Sunday he had directed Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao to take up with the State Department the issue, featured on Leno''s "The Tonight Show" Thursday.

Romney, the super-wealthy Republican front-runner, is under fire for paying low taxes.

"It is quite unfortunate and quite objectionable that such a comment has been made after showing the Golden Temple," Ravi told Indian reporters here.

"The Golden Temple is Sikh community''s most sacred place. Even our prime minister went there for praying in the New Year. I believe that the person who has shown it is not that ignorant. The American government should also look at this kind of thing," Ravi said.

"I wish this kind of thing is not shown by any media in the US," he said adding though he had not seen the show personally and had heard about it from the Sikh community.

"Freedom does not mean hurting the sentiments of others. This is not acceptable to us and we take a very strong objection for such a display of an important place like Golden Temple," he said.

"The embassy is fully aware of it and they will take it up," Ravi said.

The joke on the Leno'' show has angered the Sikh community in the US which has launched an online petition against Leno and started a Facebook page to express their outrage.

The online petition says Leno has been guilty of derogatory comments on Sikhs before. It adds that "Jay Leno''s racist comments need to be stopped right here".

"Jay Leno must apologise and promise not to make any direct or oblique references to Sikhs or their places of worship," says petition signatory Sian Kaur.

Leno has not yet commented on the matter...IANS////....NRIpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 



Jay" Leno is an American TV comedian and television host.

  • 1992- 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
  • September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. EST --on also on NBC.
  • After The Jay Leno Show was canceled in January 2010 amid a host controversy
  • Leno returned to host The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 1, 2010.