Schakowsky Blasts Kirk’s Remarks on Arab Males
| More news stories on Common Sense in High Places |
|---|
Rummana Hussain, Chicago Sun-Times, Nov. 20
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said Saturday she was “deeply offended” that her colleague Mark Kirk thinks it’s “OK” to discriminate against young Arab males, and she joined a diverse group of immigrants’ rights supporters in demanding an apology from the Republican congressman.
{snip}
When Kirk, of Highland Park, was asked about the difficulties of the visa process for immigrants at a nanotechnology conference at Northwestern University earlier this month, he said, “I’m OK with discrimination against young Arab males from terrorist-producing states. I’m OK with that.”
He continued: “I think that when we look at the threat that’s out there, young men between, say, the ages of 18 and 25 from a couple of countries, I believe a certain amount of intense scrutiny should be placed on them. I’m not threatened by people from China. I’m not even threatened by people from Mexico. I just know where the threat is from. It’s from a unique place, and I think it’s OK to recognize that.”
Schakowsky is the second Illinois politician to publicly criticize Kirk for his remarks. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) also blasted Kirk recently, characterizing his statements as showing a “cavalier attitude towards civil liberties.”
{snip}
(Posted on November 28, 2005)