Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Tea Party leader Mark Williams has apologised to Hindus for writing that Muslims worship "the terrorists` monkey god”.
"In the course of the article I described the `god` worshiped by terrorists as `a monkey god`. I was wrong and that was offensive. I owe an apology to millions of Hindus who worship Lord Hanuman, an actual Monkey God," Williams wrote Wednesday night.
The Tea Party Express is one of the most prominent groups in the conservative Tea Party movement in the US.
In the original blog post, Williams equated the proposed 13-storey mosque just steps from the site of the former World Trade Centre to a monument to the 9/11 terrorists.
Muslim leaders as well as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg had denounced Williams for the "appalling" comment.
Notably, Williams did not apologise to Muslims in the new blog post. Instead, he said sorry to Hindus as another way to attack Muslims, according to the Daily News.
"Hanuman is worshiped as a symbol of perseverance, strength and devotion. He is known as a destroyer of evil and to inspire and liberate. Those are hardly the traits of whatever the Hell (literally) it is that terrorists worship and worthy of my respect and admiration not ridicule."
"So, again, to my Hindu friends, I offer my sincerest apologies for my horrible lapse and my insensitivity. It was unintentional, inexplicably ignorant and I am ashamed at my offence toward you."
