Fox’s Gretchen Carlson: Man May Have Filed Suit Against Jay Leno To Get Attention For Sikhism

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by Alex Alvarez | 11:52 am, January 27th, 2012

» 15 comments

On last night’s The Factor, host Bill O’Reilly looked into the lawsuit filed against Jay Leno by a Sikh in California for a joke Leno had made about Mitt Romney. Leno’s segment poked fun at Romney’s wealth and multiple homes by showing a picture of the very ornate Golden Temple of Amritsar, a sacred site and the holiest shrine in Sikhism, as if it were the candidate’s lake house.

Does this “dopey” lawsuit indicate people in America are taking their respective religions too seriously? Panelist Margaret Hoover thought so, while noting that not everyone is like O’Reilly, who wasn’t the least bit of offended by, say, a sketch depicting actress Pamela Anderson as the Virgin Mary. But you get a lot of frivolous lawsuits out in California, she added. It’s to be expected!

Defender of Christianity Gretchen Carlson ventured that the lawsuit may have been filed to give Sikhism some attention, an argument O’Reilly wasn’t buying. If anyone should be suing, she later joked, it should be Romney because that wasn’t his real house. She also mentioned that, whenever Fox & Friends has mentioned Sikhism in a segment, the show has gotten a large response from the religion’s followers. “It is very akin,” said O’Reilly, “note that word, akin — to the Muslims. [...] This is their whole life; they don’t want you running them down on any level.” It’s important to note that, while Sikhs are also monotheistic (God is “Vāhigurū”), their faith has no ties to nor is it an offshoot of Islam.

O’Reilly and Gretchen did agree, however, that Leno’s joke was funny. “People have got to have a little sense of humor,” said O’Reilly. Just look who’s the number one cable person in the country, he added. If that’s not proof of God’s sense of humor, then what is?

Have a look, via Fox News:

Bill O'Reilly, fox news, Gretchen Carlson, Jay Leno, Margaret Hoover, Sikhism

The Real Royal Emperor

Is there some great ignorance of the Sikh religion? They are rather prominent in the UK, and I know of Sikh temples in the US.
Anonymous

Literal meaning of a dumb blond.
Anonymous

I think one person was shot after 9/11 because some ignoramus thought he was a Muslim. So don’t underestimate the ignorance of the American public, especially when they have ignoramus like Carlton informing them with bs every single day.
Gloves Bugsy Donahue

How Sikh.
The Real Royal Emperor

Sorry, but it doesn’t work. Thanks for the effort.
Anonymous

I want to file a lawsuit against Carlson. I don’t know on what grounds yet. I just do.
Anonymous

Oh no! First the “War on Christmas” now a “War on Sikhs”. I’m guessing somewhere in the world there show called “Sikhs and Friends” where three idiots in turbans piss and moan all morning about how they are the victims.
Hout Bosques

Yeah, those Sikhs are just a cult – not like Catholics or fundys or Islam or Mormons.
Hout Bosques

There is “some great ignorance” of EVERY religion, particularly by it’s proponents. The Pew Foundation survey proved that. The people with the most measurably high understanding of religious doctrines are 1. atheists, then 2. agnostics & then 3. deists. And no, not merely on a comparative level, that is, knowing more about ALL religions because they’re not in the bubble of any one particular religion – they provably know more about the religious doctrine & actually history of each relgion than do the folks who are in the bubble of that religion.

Right off the top of my pointy head, I can tell you that Sikhs pre-date Mormons, Islam, Christians & arguably even Jews. They’re known as the “Jews” of the Indian subcontinent because they are a minority that stands out from Hinduism & Islam, the dominant religions there, and they are an oppressed minority, particularly aggravated by the fact that their home lands straddle India & Pakistan. They are also generally the best educated of those groups, the most likely to enter career military service & the most well-travelled. But unlike Hindus, they are, like Jews, Catholics, Muslims, reform Christians & Mormons, monotheistic. They are also like the other montheisms in having lots & lots of sects, some minority of them quite extreme though most followers are far more nominal. Understand: Muslims & Hindu discriminate against & attack & KILL Sikhs as religious enemies.
Anonymous

yes, no one in this segment has ever complained about the portrayal of their religion in media. *yawn*
Anonymous

gretchen has the iq of a cabbage!
http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

This must be Fox News’ conspiracy of the week??

I heard next weeks conspiracy is going to be on SpongBob’s square pants and if that discriminates against sponges with round asses!!
Anonymous

Just a slight correction. The Sikh religion does predate the Mormons but not Christendom, Islam or Judiasm
http://twitter.com/TommyBennett Tom Bennett

All religions are cults, needless to say.
http://twitter.com/sukhneet_S Sukhneet Singh

Another correction. It was founded in 1469 in present day Pakistan.

Also, there aren’t “lots and lots” of sects. Just one Sikhi.

Other than that, glad to see you’re making efforts to learn about others. We could all benefit from your example.