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N
E W S Sepetmber
16, 2003: USA The quote on her main web page says, "Fellow Paranoids! Here is the A.P. Photo of Cruz Bustamante, as pulled straight off the web," referring to the photo of the Lieutenant Governor of California with the press and a Sikh man in the background. This was the photo that Carol Lay, the author cartoonist from California, chose to create a racist cartoon at the expense of the Sikh gentleman whom she called "Randy Bin Laden." The cartoon is especially dangerous in that it could incite hate crimes. Four Sikh men were recently shot in California, three fatally. Not to mention the hundreds of hate crimes reported since 9/11. The cartoon sparked considerable outrage among the Sikh community and, in turn, Lay received many complaints. She was even contacted by a representative of the Sikh gentleman from the picture, but to no avail. The cartoon was published in the Hartford Courant on Thursday September 4, 2003. In response, Lay created another cartoon, but not to remedy the racist comments of the first cartoon. Instead, she ridiculed the issue by comparing turban styles, including her own - a towel wrapped around her head. Dissatisfied by the response from Lay, several organizations have collaborated to create a petition asking Lay to appologize and to remove the cartoons.
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©The Sikh Sentinel 2003 |