Marcella Bernardo | Email news tips to Marcella
8/10/2012
Saying they must respect what he calls the 'Canadian way of living,' a man who wrote an offensive email in the wake of a deadly shooting at a temple in the U-S is standing by his comments against members of the Sikh community.
Dave Foran initially sent the email to Sher-e-Punjab Radio.
This morning, he defended its content with CKNW's Philip Till.
"There's nothing wrong with it if everybody kind of blends in and looks the same, but these people don't do that, they bring that religious thing with them."
"But how does it impact you?"
"I have to look at it. Other people have to look at it. I'm not the only here and I don't believe I'm prejudiced. I know lots of people from India. they blend in. they wear blue jeans. I don't want to live in India."
In the email, Foran insists he doesn't condone violence, but he believes 'Sikhs are disrespectful' because they don't 'blend in' after moving to Canada.
He goes on to say, 'your long beards, turbans, clothes and waddling as you follow each other down the street is enough to make us sick. Lose the traditions or stay in India.'
Dale Badh's family owns Sher-e-Punjab Radio.
He says Foran's comments are offensive because --as someone who's lived in Canada since 1975-- he's still not considered 'Canadian.'
"How are we disrespectful? It was very, very disturbing to me when I read that email and it still bothers me because what we've gone through in Wisconsin, what we've gone through after 9-11"
Badh says he doesn't wear a turban or beard, yet people keep calling him Indo-Canadian or South Asian, instead of simply Canadian.
Badh was speaking with CKNW's Philip Till
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