CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, July 24, 2001: In the aftermath of a controversial radio broadcast on Hinduism — reported first by J.V. Lakshmana Rao in India Tribune — TV and radio talk show host Tony Brown apologized to Hindus, and said he plans to broaden sympathies between Indian Americans and others in the US. “The truth is I made a mistake,” Brown told India Tribune in an interview. “The errors I made were made out a misunderstanding of Hinduism, not out of malice. I guarantee you, I will be more sensitive.” An example of what he said is: “After the death of Mother Teresa, all Christian nuns in India were systematically persecuted.” Brown is one of the best known black commentators in the US. His TV show, Tony Brown’s Journal, is the longest running TV series in the history of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). Brown said he hopes to clear up misunderstandings arising out of his June 30 WLS (Chicago, 890 AM) broadcast. Brown’s comments provoked a barrage of complaints from the Hindu community. Both Brown and WLS radio received e-mails and phone calls from Hindus upset by the show, and the report published in India Tribune about it.
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