Two radio hosts are suspended after they refer to the first US Sikh lawyer as "turban man".



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In an excerpt from the show on NJ101.5 obtained by NJ.com, host Dennis Malloy could not remember Grewal's name during a segment on a recent action by Attorney General to temporarily suspend the prosecution of marijuana cases in the state.

"The Attorney General, you know, I will never know his name," says Malloy. "I'm just going to tell the guy with the turban."

"Turban man", co-host Judi Franco sings.

"Listen, if that offends you, then do not wear the turban, man," Malloy said. "And I will remember your name."

"Is this very offensive?" Malloy asks after a break.

"For me? No," says Franco. "For people who wear turbans, it could be."

Grewal went on Twitter and posted a response on Thursday morning.

"My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal," he writes. "I am the 61st Attorney General of New Jersey, I am a Sikh American, I have three daughters and yesterday I told them to turn off the radio.

Grewal is the first Sikh Attorney General of the United States

"We are aware of the offending comments of Dennis and Judi during today's broadcast," said the channel in a statement. blog post, announcing that both had been removed from the air.

The station later said that the two were suspended for 10 days, and will not return to the antenna until August 6.

Malloy and Franco issued an apology posted on the station's website on Thursday.

"We offer our sincerest apologies to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal as well as to the Sikh and Asian communities for a series of insensitive comments we made on our show.During 21 years, the show of Dennis and Judi was improvised and free We use humor and sarcasm to mark a point and add color to the show, in this case we were irrelevant, we deeply regret, we respect all cultures and beliefs and we are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our beloved colleagues and our beloved listeners, "both said in apologies.

CNN asked Malloy and officials of the what point he was trying to make when he said, "Listen, if that offends you, then do not wear the turban, man, and I will remember your name." President of New Jersey 101.5 / WKXW-FM, Ron deCastr o, said that station officials took the comments seriously and echoed the excuses of the hosts

"Dennis and Judi are known for their plainspoken humor. but in this case, the language used was clearly degrading and inappropriate. New Jersey is a state rich in diversity, and our radio station has been the voice of the people for nearly 30 years, "said Mr. DeCastro. [19659003] Megan Daly, spokesman for UNITED SIKHS, told CNN: "It's a terrible comment that denotes a lack of education and cultural sensitivity."

"Sikhs keep our articles from faith, including hair and turbans, to represent equality and justice, but these visible marks of religious identity also make us targets of harassment, intimidation of our children and of hate crimes.

The organization had requested that the duo be suspended and for NJ 101.5, "to publish strong public apologies on all its communication platforms."

It also plans to reach out at the radio station to offer their services, "The disc Hate bear does not have its place in New Jersey, and it does not belong to our airwaves, "said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in a statement, calling for a visit from Gurudwara or place of worship. the comment is odious and xenophobic. "The management of the station must now hold the hosts responsible for these intolerant and racist comments."

Darran Simon of CNN contributed to this report.

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