US media is reporting on the murder conviction of Bridges TV owner Muzzammil “Mo” Hassan who stabbed his wife and co-owner of the station to death in what was described as a “gruesome” crime. According to a USA Today report:
A Pakistani-American TV station owner has been found guilty of murdering and beheading his wife two years ago, The Buffalo News reports. After a three-week trial, the jury took just 50 minutes to convict 46-year-old Muzzammil “Mo” Hassan of second-degree murder for the gruesome stabbing death his wife, Aasiya, who co-owned Bridges TV and had filed for divorce. He had claimed he was the victim of battered-spouse syndrome. The News writes that jurors were “clearly moved by the mountain of evidence and eyewitness testimony” showing that Hassan “was a longtime abuser who methodically planned the brutal, blood-soaked attack on his wife in the darkened hallway of the Bridges TV studio.” She was slain in February 2009 in the station, located in Orchard Park, outside Buffalo, which aims to counter negative images of Muslims. Sentencing is set for March 9. Hassan faces up to life in prison
According to investigative research, in April 2004 national media reported on the start-up of Bridges TV, described as “the first English-language cable television channel aimed at U.S. and Canadian Muslims.” The report indicated that the programming was available on satellite and internet and had plans to expand to cable. Chairman of Bridges TV was identified as Muzzammil Hassan, said to be a Pakistani-born ex-banker with no television industry experience who got the idea from his wife after she listened to a radio program with “a sharp, derogatory tone against Muslims.” The report described Bridges programming as ranging from “Koranic and Islamic religious content to news, documentaries, soap operas and shows geared toward women and children, in a bid to reflect many facets of life.” In April 2006, a press release stated that Bridges TV had “transitioned from a premium pay channel to basic cable on several cable and satellite systems.”
The Bridges website described one of its programs called “Prominent Scholars” and featuring the following individuals as part of this programming:
- Rasha al-Disuqi (Al-Azhar University)
- Jamal Badawi (U.S. Muslim Brotherhood)
- John Esposito (Georgetown University)
- Siraj Wahaj (U.S. Muslim Brotherhood)
- Abdullah Idris (U.S. Muslim Brotherhood)