Sikh community upset at temple joke (From Asian Image)

Sikh community upset at temple joke

4:00pm Tuesday 24th January 2012 in World news

India’s Sikh community has demanded an apology from US TV host Jay Leno, saying he insulted their holiest site while trying to make a joke about presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The Tonight Show presenter showed a photo of a glittering gold building and claimed it was Mr Romney’s summer home.

It was meant to be a joke about the Republican’s wealth. But the building in the photograph was the Golden Temple, the holiest site in the Sikh religion.

Dalbeg Singh, a top Sikh leader, said that community leaders would seek an apology from Leno.

India’s foreign ministry said the government had taken the issue up with US authorities.

The external affairs ministry said a formal complaint had been lodged with the State Department in Washington.

India had also sent a complaint to NBC, the broadcaster of the show.

Meanwhile the US State Department said that Leno’s comments “appeared to be satirical in nature.”