Battle Heats Up Between KFI & CAIR

I reported earlier on the demands of a Muslim group for an apology from KFI radio host Bill Handel in regards to a broadcast concerning the annual Hajj stampede. Handel is not backing down (from Drudge):

Los Angeles's top talkradio station is under fire from a Muslim group because of comments made earlier this month by morning man Bill Handel. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has demanded an apology from Handel for making fun of a stampede that killed hundreds of Muslims during an annual pilgrimage.

But Handel is set to fire back, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Handel will apologize IF the Council on American-Islamic Relations:

1) Decries all acts of terror (described specifically, not generally)

2) Agrees that Israel is a sovereign nation with the right to defensible borders

3) CAIR has no ties of any sort, financially or otherwise, to any terror orgs or individuals.

CAIR will never agree to that. The station did offer a bit of an apology, but refuses to order Handel to respond:

KFI-AM does not condone making light of the deaths of people engaged in religious observances. We regret that listeners found the comments of one of our on-air hosts to be insensitive. 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 won't agree to the three terms, and Handel won't apologize. CAIR will probably end up wishing they hadn't made a fuss about this.

UPDATE from Relapsed Catholic (h/t Ontario Empoblog):

Meanwhile, in a related story, Lourdes celebrates its 56,892th stampede free day.

Heh.

UPDATE: KFI & Handel cave in to CAIR. That's a shame.