NEW YORK: A Pakistani-American businessman has been arrested and charged with the murder of his estranged wife, according to media reports on Sunday.
Police in the town of Orchard Park, near Buffalo, have charged Muzzammil Hassan, 44, with the murder of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, 37. It was reported that he beheaded his wife at his company's office in upstate New York. Police found his wife’s body in his office, the reports said. Hassan had told the police on Thursday evening where his wife’s body was. The couple was in the process of divorcing after bouts of domestic violence, Aasiya’s lawyer told the Buffalo News. She had an order of protection that had him out of the couple’s house as of February 6. app
More details on the case:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,493645,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29189095/
http://www.sindhtoday.net/world/63839.htm
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\02\16\story_16-2-2009_pg7_27
Chelby
The following is an open letter issued by the Islamic Society of North America in response to the murder.
RESPONDING TO THE KILLING OF AASIYA HASSAN: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADERS OF AMERICAN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES
By Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali
Executive Director, ADAMS Center
Vice-President, The Islamic Society of North America
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is saddened and shocked by the news of the loss of one of our respected sisters, Aasiya Hassan whose life was taken violently. To God we belong and to Him we return (Qur’an 2:156). We pray that she find peace in God’s infinite Mercy, and our prayers and sympathies are with sister Aasiya’s family. Our prayers are also with the Muslim community of Buffalo who have been devastated by the loss of their beloved sister and the shocking nature of this incident.
This is a wake up call to all of us, that violence against women is real and can not be ignored. It must be addressed collectively by every member of our community. Several times each day in America, a woman is abused or assaulted. Domestic violence is a behavior that knows no boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, or social status. Domestic violence occurs in every community. The Muslim community is not exempt from this issue. We, the Muslim community, need to take a strong stand against domestic violence. Unfortunately, some of us ignore such problems in our community, wanting to think that it does not occur among Muslims or we downgrade its seriousness.
I call upon my fellow imams and community leaders to never second-guess a woman who comes to us indicating that she feels her life to be in danger. We should provide support and help to protect the victims of domestic violence by providing for them a safe place and inform them of their rights as well as refer them to social service providers in our areas.
Marriage is a relationship that should be based on love, mutual respect and kindness. No one who experiences a marriage that is built on these principles would pretend that their life is in danger. We must respond to all complaints or reports of abuse as genuine and we must take appropriate and immediate action to ensure the victim’s safety, as well as the safety of any children that may be involved.
Women who seek divorce from their spouses because of physical abuse should get full support from the community and should not be viewed as someone who has brought shame to herself or her family. The shame is on the person who committed the act of violence or abuse. Our community needs to take a strong stand against abusive spouses. We should not make it easy for people who are known to abuse to remarry if they have already victimized someone. We should support people who work against domestic violence in our community, whether they are educators, social service providers, community leaders, or other professionals.
Our community needs to take strong stand against abusive spouses and we should not make it easy for them to remarry if they chose a path of abusive behavior. We should support people who work against domestic violence in our community, whether they are educators or social service providers. As Allah says in the Qur’an: “O ye who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do” (4:136).
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never hit a women or child in his life. The purpose of marriage is to bring peace and tranquility between two people, not fear, intimidation, belittling, controlling, or demonizing. Allah the All-Mighty says in the Qur’an: “Among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are signs for those who reflect” (30:21),
We must make it a priority to teach our young men in the community what it means to be a good husband and what the role the husband has as a protector of his family. The husband is not one who terrorizes or does harm and jeopardizes the safety of his family. At the same time, we must teach our young women not to accept abuse in any way, and to come forward if abuse occurs in the marriage. They must feel that they are able to inform those who are in authority and feel comfortable confiding in the imams and social workers of our communities.
Community and family members should support a woman in her decision to leave a home where her life is threatened and provide shelter and safety for her. No imam, mosque leader or social worker should suggest that she return to such a relationship and to be patient if she feels the relationship is abusive. Rather they should help and empower her to stand up for her rights and to be able to make the decision of protecting herself against her abuser without feeling she has done something wrong, regardless of the status of the abuser in the community.
A man’s position in the community should not affect the imam’s decision to help a woman in need. Many disasters that take place in our community could have been prevented if those being abused were heard. Domestic violence is not a private matter. Any one who abuses their spouse should know that their business becomes the business of the community and it is our responsibility to do something about it. She needs to tell someone and seek advice and protection.
Community leaders should also be aware that those who isolate their spouses are more likely to also be physically abusive, as isolation is in its own way a form of abuse. Some of the abusers use the abuse itself to silence the women, by telling her
“If you tell people I abused you, think how people will see you, a well-known person being abused. You should keep it private.”
Therefore, to our sisters, we say: your honor is to live a dignified life, not to put on the face that others want to see. The way that we measure the best people among us in the community is to see how they treat their families. It is not about how much money one makes, or how much involvement they have in the community, or the name they make for themselves. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said, “The best among you are those who are best to their families.”
It was a comfort for me to see a group of imams in our local community, as well as in the MANA conference signing a declaration promising to eradicate domestic violence in our community. Healthy marriages should be part of a curriculum within our youth programs, MSA conferences, and seminars as well as part of our adult programs in our masajid and in our khutbahs.
The Islamic Society of North America has done many training workshops for imams on combating domestic violence, as has the Islamic Social Service Associate and Peaceful Families Project. Organizations, such as FAITH Social Services in Herndon, Virginia, serve survivors of domestic violence. All of these organizations can serve as resources for those who seek to know more about the issues of domestic violence.
Faith Trust Institute, one of the largest interfaith organizations, with Peaceful Families Project, has produced a DVD in which many scholars come together to address this issue. I call on my fellow imams and social workers to use this DVD for training others on the issues of domestic violence. (For information, go to the website: http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/). For more information, or to access resources and materials about domestic violence, please visit www.peacefulfamilies.org.
In conclusion, Allah says in the Qur’an “O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong; and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs” (31:17). Let us pray that Allah will help us to stand for what is right and leave what is evil and to promote healthy marriages and peaceful family environments. Let us work together to prevent domestic violence and abuse and especially, violence against women.
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Muslim Television Channel Founder Charged With Beheading His Wife
Monday, February 16, 2009
By Joshua Rhett Miller
Muzzammil Hassan, right, founder of Bridges TV, is charged with murder in the beheading of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, left, in Orchard Park, N.Y.
The estranged wife of a Muslim television executive feared for her life after filing for divorce last month from her abusive husband, her attorney said — and was then found beheaded Thursday in his upstate New York television studio.
Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37, was found dead on Thursday at the offices of Bridges TV in Orchard Park, N.Y., near Buffalo. Her husband, Muzzammil Hassan, 44, has been charged with second-degree murder.
"She was very much aware of the potential ramification her filing for divorce might have," said attorney Elizabeth DiPirro, whose law firm, Hogan Willig, represented Aasiya Hassan in the divorce proceeding. "But she wanted to proceed despite the potential for it to erupt."
DiPirro said the couple had "physical confrontations off and on" for their entire eight-year marriage that had recently escalated to death threats. The grounds for divorce were "cruel and inhuman treatment," DiPirro said, referring to mulitple prior incidents of abuse. She declined to elaborate.
"We were worried about the situation becoming volatile," DiPirro said.
The couple had two children, ages 4 and 6, DiPirro said. Muzzammil Hassan also has two children, ages 17 and 18, from a previous marriage.
DiPirro said Aasiya was a brave mother who sought a better life for her young children.
"She was a very brave woman who was extremely devoted to her children and had come to this decision after a long, thoughtful process and was determined to change her life for herself and her children," DiPirro said.
Orchard Park Police Chief Andrew Benz said authorities continue to search for the murder weapon.
Asked if the slaying is being investigated as an honor killing, Benz replied, "It's safe to say we're investigating all the angles we can, all the possibilities in conjunction with the district attorney's office. We're looking at whatever we might come across."
Benz said officers were called to the couple's home on Feb. 6, when Aasiya Hassan had obtained an order of protection barring her husband from the home.
"He was served with divorce papers that day at the [television studio]," Benz said. "He came back to the residence and was pounding on doors and broke one window … He left the premises that night."
Benz said Hassan's body was found on an office floor at the Orchard Park television station. He declined to discuss further details of the killing other than to say investigators believe Muzzammil Hassan acted alone.
"At this point, that's what we believe," Benz told FOXNews.com.
Muzzammil Hassan, who founded Bridges TV in November 2004 to counter anti-Islam stereotypes, surrendered to police Thursday. Hassan touted the network as the "first-ever full-time home for American Muslims," according to a press release.
"Every day on television we are barraged by stories of a 'Muslim extremist, militant, terrorist, or insurgent,'" Hassan said in the 2004 release. "But the stories that are missing are the countless stories of Muslim tolerance, progress, diversity, service and excellence that Bridges TV hopes to tell."
Hassan, who was arraigned Thursday, remains jailed at the Erie County Holding Center. No bail had been set and an attorney for Hassan was not listed, according to a jail spokeswoman. Hassan has a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, Benz said.
Dr. Khalid Qazi, a friend of the couple and president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York, said the channel had been under financial strain.
"I cannot believe it — I know them both well," Qazi told the Buffalo News. "I cannot get a handle on this."
Samira Khatib, a friend of the couple, said Aasiya Hassan encouraged her husband to launch the cable channel.
"They were really more than married — they encouraged each other in everything," Khatib told the Buffalo News. "She was such a lovely person."
According to a Web site for Bridges TV, Aasiya Hassan "came up with the idea" for the network. The Web site, which shows an undated photo of the couple, identifies her maiden name as Aasiya Zubair.
"Bridges TV is deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of Aasiya [Zubair] Hassan and subsequent arrest of Muzzammil Hassan," a statement posted late Monday read. "Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the families of the victim. We request that their right to privacy be respected."
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http://www.monaeltahawy.com/blog/?p=118
http://www.musawah.org/pressroom.asp#stories
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I received permission from someone to post this here; she's in her late 60's now and this was her take on the way things have changed in this country (USA).
Miami says:
"Just some food for though:
in 1981 the Supreme Court overturned state laws designating a husband “head and master” with unilateral control of property owned jointly with his wife. Prior to this if you wanted a divorce and didn't have access to any money outside of your marriage you couldn't hire an attorney. No money meant no attorney and if your husband said no money you got none.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act was not passed until 1978. Prior to that you could be fired or forced to take maternity leave. Until 1976 women were not even eligible for unemployment at any time during their pregnancy. That would make it pretty difficult to leave a marriage while you were pregnant if you didn't have any outside support systems. You couldn't support yourself.
Until 1973 it was not illegal to place help wanted ads specifically for only men. A woman could not apply for the job qualified or not.
Until 1971 in most states men were given automatic preference as administrators of wills. Women were automatically viewed as less competent.
Until well into the 60's, in many states it was not illegal for a man to beat his wife so long as she didn't sustain permanent physical harm.
Until the early 60's many states weighted jury selection against women because women were "the center of the home" and many states outright prohibited them. Lets say you file for divorce and it goes to court. The chances were very very good that the jury would be entirely composed of men. Doesn't exactly increase the woman's chances of winning, does it?
Until 1965 in many states birth control was prescribed only to married couple. This did not, of course, include condoms. It only included birth control that could be used by women. Well into the 70's, in most states a woman could not get birth control without her husband's consent. Until well into the 80's a woman could not get sterilized without her husbands consent.
Think on this. You have several children due to the fact that you have no birth control and you have no right to deny your husband his conjugal rights. It was within his rights until the late 70's to rape you. You cannot get a well-paying job as these are reserved for men. You have no money of your own and you can't get any because your husband, as the head of household, controls all the money. If you do leave your husband you MIGHT get a small amount of alimony but you wouldn't get any of the money that he "earned." Does it sound like it would be easy to divorce a cheating husband?
I think that we today forget how far we have come and how in the very recent past women were discriminated against in every way. For women who came of age after this time, it's hard to imagine the degree to which women were denied rights but all one has to do is take a basic look at history to see it in black and white."
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2009/02/imams_asked_to_preach_against.html
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Pakistani TV executive who set up pro-Muslim station in the U.S. goes on trial accused of beheading his wifeBy Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:46 PM on 18th January 2011
Comments (2) Add to My Stories Jurors are set to begin hearing the case of a television executive from Pakistan charged with beheading his wife soon after she filed for divorce.
Opening statements in the second-degree murder trial of Muzzammil Hassan are scheduled to start today in Erie County Court in Buffalo.
The 46-year-old Hassan is accused of stabbing and decapitating Aasiya Hassan, 37, in 2009 inside the studios of Bridges TV.
Scroll down for video
Standing trial: Muzzammil Hassan (right) is accused of stabbing and decapitating his wife Aasiva (left) in February 2009
The Pakistan-born couple founded the station to counter negative images of Muslims after 9/11.
More...Iraqi immigrant accused of killing his daughter in hit-run attack because she was 'too westernised'
Hassan's lawyer Jeremy Schwartz - the accused's fourth attorney since the case began- has said he may use a battered spouse defence.
On the stand: Muzzamil Hassan's trial for allegedly beheading his wife begins today
But in divorce papers signed six days before she died, Aasiya Hassan says she was the one who was abused.
Police have said they responded to several domestic violence calls at the couple's arrest but no arrests were ever made.
Jury selection for the trial took a week as 285 potential applicants were whittled down to a final 16, with the process hampered by media attention on the case.
Hassan’s lawyer told CNN he is confident his client will receive a fair trial.
‘We will try to choose people for the jury that are going to strictly abide by the judge’s instructions,’ he added
‘But we understand that this [story] is everywhere, there is a Buffalo News article today and they’ve all had access to all of that.’
It has been claimed in a local newspaper by the victim’s family that her husband had begun another relationship and had ‘taunted’ his spouse about his new lover.
While Hassan founded Bridges TV, his wife had served as the station's general manager after its 2004 launch.
The network, available across the U.S. and Canada, was believed to be the first English-language cable station aimed at the rapidly growing Muslim demographic.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1348283/Pakistani-TV-executive-Muzzammil-Hassan-trial-beheading-wife-US.html#ixzz1BSXZSubd
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Trial begins for Iraqi immigrant accused of killing his daughter in hit-run attack because she was 'too westernised'By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:08 PM on 3rd January 2011
Comments (1) Add to My Stories
Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 50, faces life in jail if convicted of so-called 'honour killing'
Prosecutors claim a history of violence and threats against pretty 20-year-old
An Iraqi immigrant accused of killing his daughter because he believed she was too Westernised is to go on trial in Arizona this month.
Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 50, faces life in prison if convicted. The case raised awareness about incident of so-called 'honour killings' in the U.S.
In October 2009, he slammed his Jeep into his daughter, Noor Almaleki, 20, prosecutors said.
The woman, who longed to live a normal American life, was in a coma for two weeks before succumbing to her injuries - in a case that caused outrage from people nationwide.
Dead: Noor Faleh Almaleki was allegedly mowed down by her father who family members said was angry that she had become 'too westernised'
Crime scene: The car park in Arizona where Faleh Hassan Almaleki is accused of driving a jeep at his 20-year-old daughter and a family friend
Faleh Almaleki moved his family from Iraq to the Phoenix suburb of Glendale in the mid-1990s.
He and Noor had a tumultuous relationship, according to police and court records and her close friends.
At 17, she refused to enter into an arranged marriage in Iraq, enraging her father, according to a court document filed by prosecutors.
At 19, Noor moved into her own apartment and began working at a fast food restaurant but quit and left her new place after her parents kept showing up at her work, insisting that she return home, the document said.
Later in 2009, she moved into the home of her boyfriend and his parents, Reikan and Amal Khalaf.
They say that she claimed her parents had beaten her.
On trail: Faleh Hassan Almalek faces life in jail if convicted of charges relating to his daughter's death
Almaleki is accused of regularly harassing his daughter and the Khalafs.
Mr Khalaf said Almaleki told him that if Noor didn't move out of the Khalaf home 'something bad was going to happen'.
On October 20, 2009, Noor spotted her father when she and Mrs Khalaf visited a Department of Economic Security office in Peoria.
She is alleged to have sent text messages to friends, telling them that her father was at the office and expressing her fear.
When the two women left the office, Faleh Almaleki allegedly hit them with his Jeep before speeding off and fleeing the country, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement soon caught up with him and returned him to Phoenix.
Noor underwent spinal surgery but died on November 2, 2009. Amal Khalaf survived.
Prosecutors wrote in a court document: 'The investigation into these crimes revealed that the defendant was very angry with Noor for not living by traditional Iraqi values - as she had, in his eyes, become too "westernised" and brought dishonour on her family.'
Almaleki is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of a serious injury accident.
Some of his court dates were postponed because he was on suicide watch for a while, and his lawyers said he didn't understand the judicial process.
His trial is set to begin on January 18.
Prosecutors are asking the judge to allow them to include the text messages that Noor Almaleki sent the day of her killing and her father's prior 'bad acts' against his daughter in the years leading up to her killing.
Both show malice and premeditation, prosecutors argue.
They wrote: 'Evidence of a defendant's prior act is also admissible to disprove the claim that the charged crime was a mistake or accident.'
'The investigation into these crimes revealed that the defendant was very angry with Noor for not living by traditional Iraqi values - as she had, in his eyes, become too "westernised" and brought dishonour on her family'Defense attorneys argue that testimony about any prior acts committed by Almaleki should not be allowed at trial, saying there's no evidence and that it's all hearsay.(Unverified information heard or received from another; rumor.
)
They added: 'The inference is highly prejudicial and will taint Mr Almaleki's chances for a fair trial.
The United Nations estimates that about 5,000 honour killings occur across the globe every year.
Although rare, they do happen in the U.S.
In the Dallas suburb of Lewisville, Texas, Yaser Abdel Said, of Egypt, is accused of shooting his two Texas-born teenage daughters in the back of his taxi cab in 2008 in what the FBI calls an honour killing.
Family members say Said felt the girls were acting too Western and had shamed him by dating non-Muslims.
In Buffalo, New York, Muzzammil Hassan is accused of beheading his wife in 2009, about a week after he was served with divorce papers.
The body of Aasiya Hassan was found at the offices of Bridges TV, the station the Pakistan-born couple established in 2004 to counter negative stereotypes of Muslims.
Peoria police spokesman Mike Tellef said Noor Almaleki's killing raised awareness about honour killings in the U.S.
'It shocked a lot of people,' he said. 'I think it was a real eye-opener. This stuff's real, we've watched it on the news and heard about it in Florida, New York and other places in the U.S. It really is in our front yard.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1343589/Iraqi-immigrant-Faleh-Hassan-Almaleki-trial-hit-run-kill-westernised-daughter.html#ixzz1BSYn5FSw
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