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DHS Social Worker in Khalil Wimes Case Removed
By Mike Newall, Inquirer staff writer
April 25, 2012
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
The city removed a social worker from active casework Tuesday after The Inquirer revealed repeated failures by the city’s Department of Human Services to intervene in the ongoing abuse of 6-year-old Khalil Wimes that ended with his parents being charged with his murder.
In announcing the step involving the social worker, Mayor Nutter also said DHS would review all child-welfare cases handled by the worker and her supervisor.
“Our hearts are very heavy for Khalil,” Nutter said, adding, “We will conduct a complete review of everything that happened in this case. If systemic changes are required, we will make them.”Read More Read More
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Police to Investigate 911 Calls from Murder Victim
By Ed Reilly
April 25, 2012
Source: WKBW News
(Buffalo, NY) On the
night of April 17th, Buffalo Police say 40-year old Ali Mohamad Mohamud tied up
his step-son, stuffed a sock in his mouth, covered it with duct tape, then beat
the fifth grade student to death.
An autopsy showed that
10-year old Abdifatah Mohamud died after being hit 70-times with a rolling pin.
His Somali step-father
is now facing second degree murder charges, and is being held in custody after appearing
in court for a felony hearing.
It is now being revealed,
that over the past two years, several calls were made to 911 operators from the
home were the young boy lived.
On at least two occasions,
it is being reported that Abdifatah call 911 to complain that his step-father was
harming him.
Police responded, but
no one was arrested. Read More Read
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How City Agencies Failed to Save 6-year-old Khalil
By Mike Newall, Inquirer Staff Writer
Date: April 24, 2012
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
When police arrested the parents of Khalil Wimes and accused them of starving and torturing their 6-year-old son to death, Mayor Nutter decried the boy's demise as tragic, but said the city could not have prevented it.
Philadelphia's Department of Human Services had no official oversight - no "open case" - for Khalil Wimes, the mayor stressed. "None," Nutter told reporters in March. "Next question."
In fact, Khalil had spent the final months of his life beaten, bone thin, desperately ill, and out of school - and DHS had failed to see what was right in front of it.
An Inquirer review of Khalil's death - including interviews with his siblings, foster parents, and other family members, and a review of police reports, court documents, and DHS files - found the city missed many chances to save him.Read More Read More
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Family of Slain Iraqi-American Woman Looking for Answers a Month Later
Written by Kristina Davis
April 24, 2012
Source: UT San Diego News
el cajon — The family of an Iraqi-American woman fatally beaten in her El Cajon home continues to wait for answers a month after her slaying.
El Cajon police have not announced any arrests or named any suspects in the killing of Shaima Alawadi, 32. The mother of five died a few days after she was found unconscious with a head injury in the dining room of her Skyview Street home on March 21.
Her sister Esmah Alawadi said Monday that the family continues to call detectives looking for updates but is told the case remains under investigation.
“We have not been sleeping at night. It’s 24 hours talking about it,” said Alawadi, who lives in Texas. “It’s restless. The only thing we want is justice now. We lost her, at least her kids (need to) know that (police) will take care of the person who did it.”Read More Read More
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Family of Iraqi Woman Killed in California was in Crisis, Records Show
By WILL CARLESS and IAN LOVETT
Date: April 5, 2012
Source: The New York Times
EL CAJON, Calif. — When Shaima Alawadi, an Iraqi-born mother of five, was found bludgeoned to death in her home last month with a threatening note beside her, many members of the large Middle Eastern immigrant population here feared a hate crime.
But
court documents made public this week instead reveal details of a family in crisis, with talk of divorce and a daughter resisting an arranged marriage, and of Ms. Alawadi’s survivors themselves coming under scrutiny from investigators.
From the beginning, the El Cajon police maintained that a hate crime was only one of the possibilities they were exploring. The search warrant affidavit, which was released by mistake to the Web site
U-T San Diego on Wednesday and then to other media outlets on Thursday, revealed that the police obtained warrants to search the family’s house and two cars, as well as their phones. Read More Read
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Shaima Alawadi Dead: Iraqi Woman Who Was Severely Beaten In California Home Dies
March 24, 2012
Source: Huffington Post
EL CAJON, Calif. — A
32-year-old woman from Iraq who was found severely beaten next to a threatening
note saying “go back to your country” died on Saturday.
Hanif Mohebi, the director
of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he met
with Shaima Alawadi's family members in the morning and was told that she was taken
off life support around 3 p.m.
“The family is in shock
at the moment. They're still trying to deal with what happened,” Mohebi said.
Alawadi, a mother of
five, had been hospitalized since her 17-year-old daughter found her unconscious
Wednesday in the family's house in El Cajon, police Lt. Steve Shakowski said.
The daughter, Fatima
Al Himidi, told KUSI-TV her mother had been beaten on the head repeatedly with a
tire iron, and that the note said “go back to your country, you terrorist.”Read More Read
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Couple Charged in Death of Son, 6
Police said they abused and malnourished Khalil Wimes.
by Phillip Lucas
Date: Mar. 22, 2012,
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
A South Philadelphia couple were charged with murder Wednesday after their 6-year-old son died Monday night at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, police said.
Tina Cuffie, 44, and Latiff Hadi, 48, of 22d Street near McClellan Street, allegedly abused and malnourished their son Khalil Wimes, police said.
"Police informed us that the child was 29 pounds," said Alicia Taylor, spokeswoman for the city Department of Human Services. Citing confidentiality laws, she said she could not discuss the case further.
The median weight of a 6-year-old boy in the United States is about 45 pounds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Read More Read More
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Muslim Imams Received Training to address Domestic Violence, VA
Date October 12, 2011
As part of an effort to support ADAMS Center khateebs to address domestic violence during the month of October, an introductory training was provided on September 24 at the ADAMS Center.
Salma Abugideiri, Co-Director of the Peaceful Families Project, and Ambreen Ahmed, Director of FAITH Social Services, provided information about domestic violence to the 10 khateebs who were in attendance.
After a presentation which included statistics, explanation of the types of abuse and their impact, and a review of some suggested talking points, a lively discussion ensued and ended with the khateebs agreeing to participate in a longer, more in depth training.
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Husband Is Charged in N.J. Ambush 
By Sean Gardiner & Pervaiz Shallwani
August, 2011
Source: The Wall Street Journalr
BOONTON, N.J.—The husband of a 27-year-old mother who was ambushed and fatally shot while walking in a New Jersey suburb was charged Friday with her murder, authorities said.
Kashif Parvaiz was charged along with Antoinette Stephen, a 26-year-old Massachusetts woman with whom he had a "relationship," prosecutors said. Neither has entered a plea in the case.
The pair was accused of plotting an attack that has rattled this small town with a well-entrenched Pakistani-American community, an attack that took place in the midst of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Read more from the source article here.
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Montclair homicide victim's family seeks custody of her daughter 
by Linda Moss
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Source: The Montclair Times
A year ago, Shazmina Khan was in England, joyfully celebrating her brother's wedding there. Nearly a year to the day later, the Montclair woman was found slain in her apartment. Now her siblings are desperately trying to get custody of her 8-year-old daughter, Samara Khan.
"I spoke to a few people in the states who were very close to my sister," Nadir Esmail told The Times in a phone call from London. "They have explained that Shazmina, before her death, she had one wish: that if anything happened to her, that her daughter would be sent to the UK, to her family."
Read more from the source article here.
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Muslim Liaison Allays Fears
May 16, 2011
Source: Southern Star
As a police liaison officer for metropolitan south region, Sabrina Hadzic knows all about the importance of fostering a harmonious relationship between the Muslim community and police.
Ms Hadzic, a PLO for the Muslim community, was appointed to the role three years ago after graduating from university with a double degree in arts and science, majoring in international relations and psychology. She said a desire to break down misconceptions that some people in the community have of the police and vice versa motivated her to become a PLO.
"Quite a big proportion of the Muslim community actually come from refugee backgrounds so they come from different countries around the world where police often play a different role than they do here in Queensland," she said. "There’s a large amount of fear for police and at times disrespect."
Read more from the source article here.
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Conference Aims to Empower U.S. Muslim Women
By Mike Anton
May 8, 2011
Source: LA Times
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Speakers from community groups, the LAPD and State Department said that by knowing and exercising their rights, American Muslim women could become a force against religious and political extremism.
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The sounds of Helen Reddy's 1972 anthem to the women's liberation movement, "I Am Woman," filled the Irvine hotel ballroom where several hundred participants gathered Saturday for the American Muslim Women's Empowerment Conference.
The song selection was fitting because the message speakers gave was basically the same as it was four decades ago: Know your rights, and exercise them.
But there was an added twist: By standing up for their rights inside and outside the home, American Muslim women can be a force against religious and political extremism.
While Muslim women in some other parts of the world face forced marriages, honor killings and a lack of political power, those in the United States sometimes struggle against more subtle forms of discrimination — often from within their own male-dominated communities.
Read more from the source article here.
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Buffalo's Muslims Battle Stereotypes After Murder
By Dina Temple-Raston
February 21, 2011
Source: NPR
It only took a Buffalo, N.Y., jury an hour earlier this month to find Muzzamil "Mo" Hassan, the founder of a Muslim-oriented suburban television station, guilty of beheading his wife, Aasiya. The killing received national attention not just because it was brutal — but because both the killer and his victim were Muslim.
When Aasiya Hassan was murdered in 2009, some journalists immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was an honor killing — but it wasn't. And the Muslim community in the Buffalo area has been fighting the stereotype for the last two years.Read More Read More
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Collective voice for domestic abuse awareness around the globe.
January 21, 2011
Source: Baitul Salaam Network, Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release)
Saturday, February 12 join your community in supporting the survivors of domestic violence by wearing purple (tie, kufi, scarf), etc. go with a group of friends to pray for an end to domestic abuse. Join the community of Edmonton, CA (Canada) as they hang posters at the public square in that city. Join the Atlanta, GA community on Saturday, February 12 at the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, 560 Fayetteville Rd. at 3:30 pm for program featuring the voices of survivors. This program is coordinated by Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence. Contact Shyam Sriram at iwontjudgeyou@live.com. Read MoreRead More
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Sheikh Omar Speaks at Domestic Violence Education Summit
November 4, 2010
Source: The Muslim Observer
With the ever increasing cases of domestic violence happening in the American Society, especially most recently occurring in the Muslim & Pakistani families, where a father killed three of his children and a son killed her mother; the Houston Police Officer Muzaffar Siddiqi with the help of his colleagues at the Houston Police Department (HPD) and the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) hosted a Domestic Violence Education Summit at the River Oaks Crown Plaza Hotel located at 2712 Southwest Freeway.
Staff of several local agencies and HPD special department that handles such cases was present. The panelists included: HPD Sergeant Jim Babb; HPD Officer E. J. Joseph of the Community Affairs; Teresa Catillo Crime Victim Liaison HPD; Senior HPD Officer Janette Arceneaux of the Special Crimes Division Domestic Violence; Dr. Lisa Berg Garmezy Staff Psychologist HPD; Dr. Aziz Siddiqi President ISGH; Sheikh Omar Inshanally Imam of ISGH; Eddee Hestand Member of Police & Clergy Team; Celeste Gilliam of the Houston Area Women’s Center; and Lilas Taha of Asians Against Domestic Abuse (AADA). Read More Read More
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CT Muslims Stand Against Domestic Violence
 Written by Tracy Simmons
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Source: Creedible.com
HARTFORD – There are many misconceptions about Islam, including the idea that Muslim men are allowed to beat and dominate their wives.
The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut took a stand against that fallacy Saturday night as it focused on harmony in the home for its fourth annual leadership banquet.
“A home should be a place of tranquility and security,” said Aida Mansoor, banquet chair. Read More Read More
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Bollywood Actress Helps Domestic Violence Victims
By Lisa Orkin Emmanuel
Source: The Huffington Post
Published: September 8, 2010
PLANTATION, Fla. Years after Somy Ali left her glamorous life as a Bollywood actress, she heard a knock on her door from a Bangladeshi neighbor, asking for help.
The woman said she'd been sexually and physically abused for a decade by her husband, his father and his brother. Ali paid for the woman's apartment and divorce.
"I said 'There have to be more women like this,'" Ali said.
So she founded a not-for-profit organization called No More Tears Inc. in 2006. So far it has helped 48 women. Ali funds her organization in part by giving 10 percent of the revenue from her clothing company, So-Me Designs.
"These people have become part of my family," she said. "There is nothing more gratifying than rescuing a woman."
Ali's own life reads like a Bollywood script. She grew up in an opulent 26-room mansion in Karachi, the daughter of a Pakistani movie producer father and an Iraqi mother. When Ali was 9, she moved to Florida with her mother and brother.
At 15, she decided that she wanted to marry actor Salman Khan, whom she calls "the equivalent of Brad Pitt in India," and that she wanted to move to India. Read More Read More
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Waheeda Samady: Domestic Violence Does Not Discriminate
By Vivian Moon
Fri, Aug 7, 2009
Source: La Prensa San Diego
Education leads to prevention
Domestic violence crosses all ethnic, social, and economic borders. Dr. Waheeda Samady, a medical resident at UC San Diego, has embarked on a project to fight the on-set of family violence and explore ways to better educate the public on its prevention, focusing on Muslim communities in San Diego. By working with local organizations, Dr. Samady marks the importance of awareness and proactive efforts to maintain respect within families. As a Muslim herself, Dr. Samady also acknowledges the costs of stereotyping minority groups, and the resulting barriers that can make seeking help all the more difficult. Read More Read More
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| Imams Learn How to Address Domestic Violence
By Muneeza Tahir
July 20, 2010
Source: Islamic Relief USA
One travelled more than 3,000 miles from California. Another spent over a day in New York amidst cancelled flights and mix-ups. And one more drove more than nine hours from Detroit without rest to arrive in time. They shared the fact that they were Muslim men and imams–religious leaders–but more importantly they were also united against a common and often hushed crisis in their communities: domestic violence.
More than a dozen imams from around the country came to a special workshop, “Preventing and Responding to Domestic Violence,” last weekend at The Fairfax Institute in Herndon, Va., to share, learn and gain effective tools to address domestic violence in their respective communities. Initiated by Peaceful Families Project (PFP), a nonprofit organization devoted to ending domestic violence in Muslim families through awareness workshops for Muslim leaders and communities, the two-day workshop was sponsored by Islamic Relief USA.
“[This is] about learning from each other,” said Imam Mohamed Magid, Executive Director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Sterling, Va. Read More Read More
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Muslim Foundation Seeks to Help All Domestic Violence Victims
By Jon Vanderlaan, 
Source: Plano Star-courier
Published: July 15, 2010
Despite Facing Poor Odds And Rampant Prejudices, A Foundation Is Attempting To Break Through Barriers To Help Women Who Have Been Abused.
The Texas Muslim Women's Foundation, which is based in Plano and was founded in 2005, opened a Resale Sophisticate, a thrift and consignment store, in September 2009 in an attempt to further serve victims of domestic violence.
Hind Jarrah, one of the founders of the organization and the first president of TMWF, said the store's main trouble is attracting customers.
"People need to be aware that we are here," she said. "That is the most important thing. I don't think people know what we are about."
Jarrah said because of the poor economy, it was impossible for the organization to expect donations to support its needs and the needs of those who benefit from the organization. Read More Read More
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Muslim Community Info Session on Domestic Violence, Elder Abuse and Hate Crimes
By Sana Siddiqui,
June 2010
Source: Muslim Youth Canada
Domestic Violence is a complex, tragic and underreported crime across all cultures and societies and unfortunately, the Muslim community is no exception. Recent studies have shown that Muslim women suffer from emotional, physical and financial abuse from their husbands and that physical violence occurs in at least 10% of Muslim families in America (Alkhateeb, 1999; Alkhateeb, 2010; Rianon and Sheldon, 2003).
On June 26th 2010 the Vancouver Police, Family Services of Greater Vancouver and the Muslim community came together to discuss the programs and services available for victims of domestic violence and their families, elder abuse and hate crime. Around 35 Muslim community members attended this information session at Collingwood Neighbourhood House in Vancouver. Also present were support workers from MOSIAC and Vancouver and Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Services. Read MoreRead More
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Dunya Maumoon Ready for Battle with Extremists Over Domestic Violence Bill
International news
By Poorna Rodrigo
Source: Asiantribune.com, Male, Maldives
Published: 24 June, 2010
Opposition DRP Women's Wing Chief Dunya Maumoon, the daughter of former President Gayoom, is ready to dare any opposition from "extremist elements" over the upcoming Bill on Domestic Violence.
In an interview with Asian Tribune she did not rule out the possibility of "some extreme-view Islamic scholars" protesting the Bill.
And in the event of any objection, Dunya is ready for a battle.
"I am ready to face any possible opposition to the Bill from conservative elements," she said.
A staunch campaigner for women's rights in the Maldives, she is the prime mover behind the Bill on Domestic Violence, due in Parliament in early July. Read More Read More
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Queens Person Of The Week: Social Worker Helps Muslim Women Overcome Domestic Abuse
By Rocco Vertuccio
Source: NY1 News
Published: March, 13 2010
Robina Niaz of Turning Point for Women and Families was selected as the Queens Person of the Week by NY1 News. This is a video report about her. Please click here to watch the video Read More
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Muslim Women's Shelter Provides Refuge, Support
Source:NPR
Published: January 1, 2010
As families come together over the holidays, the victims of domestic abuse are often sequestered in shelters — a situation that's especially difficult for Muslim women, because few facilities meet their cultural and religious needs.
At one home for Muslim women in Baltimore, women from different backgrounds recently gathered in the kitchen to prepare dinner together. Oil splattered on the stove, and Asma Hanif, the woman who runs the center, joked that the night's dinner would be the end of her.
"In Iraq they don't have high cholesterol?" she asks a Kurdish woman standing beside her. "This is going to kill us." Read More Read More
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Robina Niaz: A CNN Hero
 Robina Niaz, the founder of Turning Point for Women and families, an organization helping the victims of domestic abuse in New York City, was selected as CNN Heroes in 2009 and had appeared in Lary King Live for her services to the community.
According to CNN, “When Niaz launched her organization in 2004, it was the first resource of its kind in New York City. Today, her one-woman campaign has expanded into a multifaceted endeavor that is raising awareness about family violence and providing direct services to women in need.
Crisis intervention services are a critical element of Niaz's efforts. Through weekly counseling sessions, she and her team provide emotional support to the women while helping them with practical issues, such as finding homeless shelters, matrimonial lawyers, filing police reports or assisting with immigration issues.
Niaz has helped more than 200 Muslim women. While most of Turning Point's clients are immigrants, the group helps women from every background.”
Please click here to read her full story and watch her video on CNN. Read More
You may also reach her through her organization Turning Point for Women and Families.
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| Altamash Iftikhar: Fighting Abuse with Fashion
 Altamash Iftikhar is a 25-year-old Muslim American activist who has taken initiative to end domestic violence. This ambitious young man has launched a new non-profit organization, i-appreciate.org, selling T-shirts online against domestic violence.
Kristen Minogue, a reporter for News 21, writes, “A shirt that reads “I will appreciate your mind, body and soul” might seem more appropriate for a yoga class than a weightlifting session. But Altamash Iftikhar wears his to the gym all the time.”
In an in-depth interview by Minogue, “Iftikhar said he welcomes the opportunity to get more people involved, and the part-fashion, part-social action statement makes a good conversation starter.”
To read full story, please click here Read More
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Muslim Men Against Domestic Abuse
 Muslim Men Against Domestic Abuse was launched in February, 2009, by Mohammad Khalil, an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
According to the organization’s mission statement: Muslim Men Against Domestic Abuse (MMADA) is an organization dedicated to domestic tranquility. By joining our group, you make a commitment never to engage in, support, or remain silent about the physical, psychological, and emotional abuse of Muslim and non-Muslim women and children.
The organization has an online pledge on its site. To this date 113 people have already signed on it. According to Kristen Minogue, a reporter for News 21, “The organization has raised a few eyebrows for singling out men, even from activists who, overall, support the idea. Khalil has said he does not want to establish men as “arbiters of morality,” but he does want to break the stereotype that domestic violence is simply a women’s issue.”
Minogue published an in-depth interview of Khalil on News 21 in August, 2009. Please click here to read the full account of that interview.Read More |
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Abbas Jaffer: Rethinking Gender, Islam, and the Quran
 Abbas Jaffer, a young Muslim activist has taken the domestic violence in the Muslim community as one of his top issues to work on. When he was a sophomore at the University of Denver, he founded Men as Allies, an organization of men dedicated to preventing gender violence.
Kristen Minogue, a reporter of News 21, introduces Jaffer in these words, “Abbas Jaffer isn’t a single-issue activist. Since he entered college, the 23-year-old University of Denver graduate has delved into gang violence and international relations, and even worked for a brief stint in India with Tibetan refugees. But the problem of domestic violence disturbed him early on.
"… Now he works as an associate editor for Altmuslimah.com, an online publication launched in March that explores gender in Islam. His involvement gave him the chance to write about domestic violence in the Muslim community.”
To read Jaffer’s interview’s full account, please click here Read More |
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Aasiya Zubair Case Follow Up
 On February 12, 2009, Bridges TV's CEO and co-owner, Muzzammil Hussain, murdered his wife and co-owner of Bridgess TV, Aasiya Zubair.
Fred O. Williams and Gene Warner, two reporters of Buffalo News, reported:
"Friends expressed shock on Friday that the founder of a Muslim TV channel — which he launched in order to counter violent images of Muslims — has been arrested in his wife’s brutal slaying.
Detectives have charged Muzzammil Hassan, 44, with second-degree murder after his wife was found beheaded Thursday at the offices of the cable channel, Bridges TV, in the Village of Orchard Park.
The victim was identified as Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37."
Since then Buffalo News has been following this case and so are we. This page is dedicated to this case.
Please click here to follow up on Aasiya Zubair's case Read More
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