Auckland Mayor Says Sorry for a Bad Comment and Meets Muslim Leaders
Introduction
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said a bad thing to a worker from RNZ. He called the worker a ''Muslim terrorist''. He also talked about the worker''s beard. The worker felt hurt. The mayor later met with Muslim leaders.
Main Body
The bad thing happened on Monday. The mayor went to RNZ''s office for an interview. A worker said sorry for a delay. The mayor said, ''Security cannot be very tight if a Muslim terrorist is with us.'' He also said something about the worker''s beard. The worker is from India. He said he felt shocked and hurt. The mayor sent an email to say sorry. He said it was a bad joke. He said his staff told him the worker was Sikh. He said he respects Sikh people. The worker accepted the sorry. He said he hopes public figures think about their words. RNZ said the comment was not okay. Later, the mayor met with FIANZ, a group of Muslim leaders. He said sorry again. FIANZ said the comment was racism. They said leaders must be careful after the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks. They invited the mayor to visit a mosque. He said yes.
Conclusion
The mayor said sorry in public. Muslim leaders want him to think about his words. They want him to be a good leader. This event shows that words can hurt. People are talking about stereotypes.