WASHINGTON, Nov 13: The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago has urged US lawmakers to repudiate the offensive remarks of Congressman Mark Kirk who has called for discrimination against Arabs.

“I’m OK with discrimination against young Arab males from terrorist-producing states,” the Republican Congressman was quoted as saying at a recent symposium at the Northwestern University in Chicago.

Deploring the remarks, the Council said: “The visa requirements and process should be the same for all people. No one should be discriminated against based upon his or her race, religion or national origin.”

The Council is a federation of approximately 50 major Islamic centre, mosques, academic institutions, schools, civic, professional and social service groups.

“Our country, including people of all political persuasion recently paid tribute to Rosa Parks, whose career represented the struggle against racial discrimination, including racial profiling,” said the Council.

“It is regrettable and tragic that Rep Kirk, within days of her death, has already forgotten and has failed to learn anything from the legacy of Rosa Parks in making bigoted remarks by promoting a policy of racial profiling of Asian men, including those of Arab descent.”

The Council recalled that State Department spends hundreds of millions of dollars in public diplomacy in the Muslim world. It has brought thousands of Muslim students from these Muslim states that Mr Kirk refers to with our tax dollars for them to learn more about America.

“It is only advantageous to have these students pay for themselves while they continue to learn about America. We need to use due diligence about all visa applicants without any racist generalizations,” the council said.