Romney Confuses 'Sikh' With 'Sheik'

US presidential candidate Mitt Romney has made another gaffe - wrongly referring to the scene of a recent deadly gun attack at a Sikh place of worship as a 'sheik' temple.

The Republican politician, who is racing against President Barack Obama to become the next American president, made the mistake at fundraising event in Iowa on Tuesday evening.

Paying tribute to those killed in the shooting in Wisconsin on Sunday , Mr Romney said: "We had a moment of silence in honour of the people who lost their lives at that sheikh temple. I noted that it was a tragedy for many, many reasons."

Further confusing the Arabic term with the Sikh religion, he went on: "Among them are the fact that people, the sheik people, are among the most peaceable and loving individuals you can imagine, as is their faith."

Six worshippers were killed and three critically wounded during the weekend attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, in Oak Creek . The gunman, a US army veteran, was shot dead at the scene.

Mr Romney's spokesman, Rick Gorka, insisted that the mix-up was a mispronunciation.

Mr Gorka told local reporters that the presidential hopeful "mis-spoke", adding that it was "the end of the day".

"He mispronounced similar sounding words. He was clearly referring to the tragedy in Wisconsin," Mr Gorka said.

It is the latest in a series of gaffes by Mr Romney.

During a trip to the UK last month he cast doubt on London’s preparedness for the Olympic Games, offending high-level officials and overshadowing his visit to Downing Street.

In the same overseas tour, he went on to infuriate Palestinians by referring to Jerusalem as Israel's capital and saying that Israeli "culture" helps them succeed economically.