of all people

This Juan William controversy is fairly interesting. I don't quite understand the perspective that what he said was okay. Here's what he said in the interview with Bill O'Reilly:

"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country," Williams said Monday. "But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

He later responded with a piece saying:

Yesterday, NPR fired me for telling the truth. The truth is that I worry when I am getting on an airplane and see people dressed in garb that identifies them first and foremost as Muslims. This is not a bigoted statement. It is a statement of my feelings and my fears after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 by radical Muslims. 

What if I take these comments and apply them to another minority group and a stereotypical setting.

"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country," Williams said Monday. "But when I'm walking down the street, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in black urban garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Blacks, I get worried. I get nervous."

and

Yesterday, NPR fired me for telling the truth. The truth is that I worry when I am walking down the street and see people dressed in garb that identifies them first and foremost as Blacks. This is not a bigoted statement. It is a statement of my feelings and my fears after seeing news items about the violent acts of radical Blacks.

Is that an acceptable thing to say in the media?