Posted on 01/31/2006 10:40:54 AM PST by laney
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles radio personality said Monday he would apologize for an on-air skit that made fun of the deaths of hundreds of Muslims, but only if an Islamic civil rights group denounces terrorism and acknowledges Israel's right to exist.
The Council of American Islamic Relations demanded the apology last week after KFI 640 host Bill Handel made fun of the deaths of at least 363 Muslims during a stampede at an annual pilgrimage in Mecca.
According to CAIR, Handel imitated the people screaming and then joked that the Muslims at the pilgrimage should use a helicopter to monitor pilgrimage traffic, as is done with Los Angeles' freeway traffic. On his program Monday, Handel said he would apologize, but only if CAIR agreed to denounce “all bombing or attacks where intended victims are innocent citizens,” to acknowledge Israeli sovereignty and to verify that the group has never had connections with any terrorist group or sponsor.
If those conditions are met, “I'll be more than happy to apologize for offending people, I'll apologize all day long,” Handel said in a live 12-minute response to CAIR's complaint. He said the station had received hundreds of letters from all over the world demanding an apology.
“CAIR's record is clear. We've had numerous statements denouncing terrorism and all the things he was talking about,” said CAIR spokeswoman Sabiha Khan.
She called Handel's conditions a “smoke screen” for his refusal to take responsibility for his remarks
Oh yeah, "all those things"....right.
I suspect he will hear nothing more on the matter.
In a statement on the website, KFI said it "does not condone making light of the deaths of people engaged in religious observances."
It added that "KFI does not censor its hosts, nor does it tell them what to say or not to say. KFI is a strong and passionate believer in 1st Amendment rights and that is at the very core of this radio station."
CAIR refuses to renounce the Cult of Death
You do not have the right to not be offended. Offend away....
And every one of these denouncements has been followed by a "BUT" and then blame is cast at Israel and the U.S.
He should point out that people who supposedly die in the Haaj go directly to Heaven, so how, exactly, is he making fun of these 'martyrs' that seem to come around every year in the same way?
If CAIR's that offended they can always issue a fatwah calling on all believers to behead this infidel Zionist dog. That should make them feel better.
CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, is a controversial Islamic lobbying group based in Washington, DC. It claims to denounce terrorism, but in fact supports Islamic extremism, including the suicide bombings carried out by Hamas
All Khan has to do is respond to his 3 requests and denounce them publicly. It seems she would rather flap her gums about her claims of what CAIR has done in the past. She should put up or shut up.
Well...they said "all the things he was talking about."
So I think he should go back to ask for clarification on that sentence...before apologizing. :-)
Good for Bill Handel. I hope he sticks to his guns.
...unless one offends Bill Cosby.
Where can we express our support for Bill Handel? Anyone got an email address?
The Dutch apology was not good enough so there was a bomb threat made to the magazine. WHAT do you think will happen if Handel isn't "punished" enough?
Handel deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. ;^)
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