M A I N   N E W S

US Senator Kerry apologises to Sikhs

New Delhi, February 10
Senator John Kerry, US Democratic Presidential front-runner, has regretted the ‘’imprecision’’ of his remarks in which he referred to the Sikhs as terrorists.

During a campaign speech in Oklahoma last month, Senator Kerry had linked the Sikhs with terrorism, sparking off a sharp reaction from the community all across the USA.

He is the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for US President. “It has been brought to my attention that remarks I made on Saturday, January 31, have been misunderstood to imply that adherents of the Sikh faith condon terrorism. Nothing could be farther from the truth and I regret that the imprecision of my statement led to this misunderstanding.

“I am deeply sorry for the offence caused by this comment. I was, of course, referring to specific terrorist groups, which have invoked Sikhism and committed past acts of terror in India. I realise that, like me, the vast majority of Sikhs in the USA and worldwide abhor terrorism. I also know that stereotypes, discrimination, and abuse haunt Sikh Americans living and working in this nation. Sikh Americans have made enormous and invaluable contributions to our nation for which I am exceedingly grateful,’’ Senator Kerry said in a statement on February 6 quoted by the Washington-based Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE). — UNI