Mr. Khaliq may disagree with Ibrahim’s conclusions about Islam, the Qur’an and Al Qaeda, but the publication of "The Al Qaeda Reader" was newsworthy, and interviewing Ibrahim was one important way to explore the content of the book.

Recognizing that Ibrahim’s approach is controversial, KPCC invited Reza Aslan to be on Air Talk the following day. Aslan critiqued "The Al Qaeda Reader," as he had done in a widely read column he wrote for Slate.com (http://www.slate.com/id/2171752/fr/rss/).

At KPCC we explore important ideas in-depth, and provide opportunities for guests and listeners to challenge each other’s views on those ideas. We believe the interviews with Ibrahim and Aslan did precisely that. (Those interviews of August 15 and 16 are archived on KPCC’s website at http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/listings/2007/08/airtalk_20070813.shtml.)

We take strong exception to the suggestion that KPCC condones or promotes Islamophobia in any way. KPCC regularly explores evolving contemporary views of Islam and the everyday lives of Muslims in America. The interviews with Ibrahim and Aslan were only part of that ongoing coverage. Aslan himself is one of many prominent Southern California Muslims who regularly appears on KPCC, as does Khaled Abou El-Fadl from UCLA, Salam Al-Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and many others.

We believe KPCC’s coverage of these issues has probably done more to counteract Islamophobia than coverage provided by any other mainstream broadcast news organization in Southern California.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond, and best wishes for the continued success of InFocus.

By Craig Curtis,
Program Director

89.3 KPCC, Pasadena / Southern California Public Radio