The annual Haj crushing
Story posted on www.cair.com
CAIR-LA: KFI Host Under Fire for Islamophobic Remarks
Source: Billboard Radio Monitor
Clear Channel talk KFI Los Angeles morning man Bill Handel is under fire from a Muslim civil liberties group because of comments he reportedly made earlier this month. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has asked that Handel apologize for making fun of a stampede that killed hundreds of Muslims during an annual pilgrimage.
Over 350 pilgrims were killed and hundreds injured in a stampede Jan. 12 in Mecca, where thousands of people were rushing to carry out a symbolic ritual of stoning the devil, according to the Associated Press.
That same day, Handel reportedly imitated the people screaming and then joked that the Muslims at the pilgrimage should use a helicopter to monitor pilgrimage traffic.
The group quoted Handel as saying: "This is Mahmoud Nolan. Hajj in the Sky. There is an accident. … Ali lost his sandal on the on-ramp to the Martin Luther King Jr. freeway."
Two years ago, KFI issued an on-air apology after the group filed a complaint with the FCC following a skit that claimed Muslims have sex with animals, don't bathe and hate Jews.
Billboard Radio Monitor has contacted KFI for a statement, but at press time, the call had not been returned.
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847 or 714-390-0334, E-Mail: sabihak@cair.com
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