LOS ANGELES, Feb 12: Several Mulsim, Pakistani and Arab-American organizations have joined hands in calling on US Attorney General John Ashcroft to clarify offensive remarks he allegedly made in December about Islam.

According to an interview with syndicated columnist Cal Thomas published on the internet site www.crosswalk.com, Ashcroft said: “Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son to die for him. Christianity is a faith in which God sends his son to die for you.”

Despite several requests from Muslim and Arab-American groups, Ashcroft has not responded publicly.

“If true, these remarks are inaccurate, offensive and are unbecoming of a law enforcement official who is currently initiating and administering policies that have a disproportionate impact on Muslims. His remarks are also in direct contradiction to President Bush’s repeated statements of respect for Islam,” said Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Executive Director Nihad Awad.

He called on the president and other public officials to distance themselves from Ashcroft’s remarks.

Awad cited the hundreds of Muslim detainees held following the Sept 11 attacks, the “voluntary” interviews of legal Muslim visa holders, the closure of immigration hearings, and profiling of Muslim and Arab-American airline passengers as examples of policies affecting Muslims.