Bridges TV Exec Will Plead "Not Guilty" to Charge of Murdering Wife

Muzzammil Hassan, left, founder of Bridges TV, charged with murder in the beheading of his wife, Aasiya Hassan in Orchard Park, is confined to the backseat of an Erie County Sheriff's patrol vehicle entering the garage of the Orchard Park Courthouse in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009. Hassan is accused of beheading his wife Aasiya Zubair Hassan.




Suspect ‘almost in shock’ over wife’s beheading
By Fred O. Williams
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 02/19/09 08:22 AM

ORCHARD PARK - Under arrest in his wife’s brutal death, Muzzammil Hassan is “almost in shock,” his attorney said Wednesday following a court appearance in Orchard Park.

“He’s having difficulty coping with this,” attorney James Harrington said.

Hassan, 44, appeared briefly in the Orchard Park courtroom Wednesday for the first official proceeding since he was arrested last week and charged with seconddegree murder. His wife, Aasiya, was found beheaded at the office of their business in the Village of Orchard Park.

Tall and stout in a tan suit, he was led into the courtroom in handcuffs, blinking through his glasses at the approximately two dozen people gathered.

Police had blocked off the street in front of the municipal building on South Buffalo Street and prevented attendees from taking cell phones, cameras or recorders into the courtroom.

During the brief felony hearing, Harrington waived the presentation of evidence, clearing the way for a grand jury proceeding.

“If and when he’s indicted, he’ll plead not guilty,” said Harrington, adding, “It’s too early to know what approach we’ll take, but we’re exploring everything.”

Assistant District Attorney Colleen Curtin Gable said her office would seek an indictment against Hassan within 45 days on a charge of seconddegree murder. The first-degree charge is reserved for special circumstances, including torture or the death of police.

Conviction on second-degree murder carries penalties ranging from 15 years to life in prison, to 25 years to life, she said.

Hassan was returned to the Erie County Holding Center after his court appearance.

Harrington said that a history of domestic violence will be part of the case.

“They had their problems,” he said.

Orchard Park police said they had been called to the couple’s home on Big Tree Road because of domestic disputes previously. The most recent occasion was Feb. 6, the day Aasiya Hassan filed for divorce and obtained an order of protection barring Muzzammil Hassan from the house.

Although Hassan told police where to find his wife’s body, he has not confessed, Harrington said. Hassan went to Police Headquarters last Thursday evening and said his wife was dead at their business office, a Muslim-oriented television channel on Thorn Avenue.

Harrington rejected a connection between the beheading of Aasiya Hassan and the couple’s Muslim religion and culture.

“No, it does not [have any bearing],” he said, adding, “I think the media is doing a very great disservice to the Muslim community.”

The brutal nature of the crime has raised questions about whether it was a so-called “honor killing,” a possibility that the district attorney’s office is investigating. Harrington called questions about the extreme violence of the act inappropriate.

Advocates for women — some of them Muslims — have called for the community to acknowledge religious and cultural traditions that stigmatize divorce and heighten the danger of violence in divorce cases.

Meanwhile, the Imams Council of Greater Western New York on Tuesday issued a statement calling it “unfair to vilify the Islamic faith or Muslims” in the homicide.

“To generalize the issue is misleading and masks the real problem that women globally are being abused and domestic violence is on the rise. We must all unite in condemning anyone, of any faith or culture, who harms the innocent and recognize that the causes of domestic violence are not limited to any religion or culture.”

fwilliams@buffnews.com
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/583859.html

Asma Firfirey: "Monster Decapitated My Sister"

'Monster decapitated my Sister'
Beheading may have been heard on phone in S.Africa

Updated: Wednesday, 18 Feb 2009, 12:26 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 17 Feb 2009, 6:31 PM EST

* WIVB.com with Reports from News24, Die Berger

(Aasiya Hassan on the cover of a recent issue of "Azizah" magazine. The caption ironically reads, "SEEKING SANCTUARY")

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Several South African media outlets are reporting that the sister of Aasiya Zubair Hassan may have been on the cell phone with her sister during her beheading at the Orchard Park offices of Bridges TV.

Hassan was brutally murdered on the premises of the Bridges TV network, an English Islamic cable network started in 2004 with the mission of improving the image of Muslims in America.

News 24 in Cape Town reports that Asma Firfirey was on the phone with her sister when she heard the couple arguing and her sister Aasiya struggling for air. When she called back a receptionist told her that everyhing was okay.

Muzzammil Hassan, 44, the founder and CEO of Bridges Television Network, turned himself into police on Thursday night, telling police that his wife was dead. Hassan had just been served with divorce papers and ordered to stay out of the couple's Orchard Park home.

The victim's sister, AsmaFirfirey told News 24 in Cape Town, "I can only imagine how scared and emotional she must have been before she died."

Firfirey is concerned about the welfare of the couple's young children, Rania, 4, and Danyal, 6, who are now being cared for by a colleague. A court proceeding was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon to discuss the matter.

The news reports also state that when Aasiya visited South Africa last May 'she had been assaulted so badly she had to pay R30,000 (aprox. $2929) in medical fees.

Aasiya Zubair Hassan was 37 years old and reportedly had met her husband on the Internet. This was the third marriage for her husband, Mo Hassan.

Firefirey calls her brother-in-law 'the fat man with evil eyes'.

Muzzammil (Mo) Hassan is slated to appear at a felony court hearing Wednesday afternoon.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Monster_decapitated_my_sister_20090217

Silent Shame: "Community Knew Aasiya Hassan Was Being Abused"

Muslim community knew of Hassan's abuse

Grand Jury will decide if he heads to trial

Updated: Thursday, 19 Feb 2009, 9:48 AM EST
Published : Thursday, 19 Feb 2009, 7:33 AM EST

• Mylous Hairston
• Posted by: Emily Lenihan

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) - A grand jury will now decide whether the founder of Bridges TV will go to trial for the decapitation murder of his wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan.

"Everyone in the Muslim community was aware that she was indeed going through abuse," said Attorney Nadia Shahram."

Although not evident in family pictures, investigators say the 37-year-old mother endured abuse at the hands of her husband, Muzzammil Hassan.

Hassan is accused of beheading his wife last Thursday at Bridges TV in Orchard Park.

He walked into Orchard police headquarters and told them that his wife is dead. "Well, obviously that statement is part of the case and will be part of the proof the prosecution has," said James Harrington, Hassan's Defense Attorney.

Hassan founded Bridges TV following the 9/11 attacks against America. He wanted to dispel stereotypes about Muslims and to bridge cultures.

"We have to make sure act of one Muslim does not create any doubt on the religion of Islam," said Shahram.

Shahram added, "This act has no roots in the religion of Islam. It's just unfortunate that we have a bad practioner of Islam."

Aasiyah had recently filed for divorce and got a court order of protection.

"Divorce means shame for Muslim woman," said Shahram.

When asked if the history of domestic violence will play a role in this case Hassan's defense attorney James Harrington answered, "Yes, sure it will. That is an issue in this case."

Taking a stand against domestic violence is said to be especially difficult for Muslim women. Aasiya's decision may have cost her her life and her husband could spend the rest of his life in prison.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Muslim_community_knew_of_Hassans_abuse_20090219

Deja Vu? Bridges "Broken" As Couples Marital Problems Lead to Murder

Man accused of beheading wife called 'gentle'

Couple founded TV station near Buffalo, N.Y. to counter Muslim stereotypes

The Associated Press

updated 7:56 p.m. ET, Tues., Feb. 17, 2009

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The crime drips with brutal irony: a woman decapitated, allegedly by her estranged husband, in the offices of the television network the couple founded with the hope of countering Muslim stereotypes.

Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan is accused of beheading his wife last week, days after she filed for divorce. Authorities have not discussed the role religion or culture might have played, but the slaying gave rise to speculation that it was the sort of "honor killing" more common in countries half a world away, including the couple's native Pakistan.

Funeral services for Aasiya Hassan, 37, were Tuesday. Her 44-year-old husband is scheduled to appear for a felony hearing Wednesday.

The Hassans lived in Orchard Park — a well-off Buffalo suburb that hadn't seen a homicide since 1986 — and started Bridges TV there in 2004 with the message of developing understanding between North America and the Middle East and South Asia. 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.

Orchard Park Police Chief Andrew Benz said his officers had responded to domestic incidents involving the couple, most recently Feb. 6, the day Mo Hassan was served with the divorce papers and an order of protection.

'Never heard him raise his voice'
"I've never heard him raise his voice," said Paul Moskal, who became friendly with the couple while he was chief counsel for the FBI in Buffalo. Moskal would answer questions in forums aired on Bridges TV that were intended to improve understanding between Muslim-Americans and law enforcement.

"His personal life kind of betrayed what he tried to portray publicly," Moskal said.

On Feb. 12, Hassan went to a police station and told officers his wife was dead at the TV studio.

"We found her laying in the hallway the offices were off of," Benz said. Aasiya Hassan's head was near her body.

"I don't know if (the method of death) does mean anything," said the chief, who would not discuss what weapon may have been used. "We certainly want to investigate anything that has any kind of merit. It's not a normal thing you would see."

Hassan was not represented by an attorney at an initial appearance on a charge of second-degree murder. Neither police nor the Erie County district attorney's office knew if he had hired a lawyer.

NOW condemns prosecutors
The New York president of the National Organization for Women, Marcia Pappas, condemned prosecutors for referring to the death as an apparent case of domestic violence.

"This was, apparently, a terroristic version of 'honor killing,'" a statement from NOW said.

Nadia Shahram, who teaches family law and Islam at the University at Buffalo Law School, explained honor killing as a practice still accepted among fanatical Muslim men who feel betrayed by their wives.

"If a woman breaks the law which the husband or father has placed for the wife or daughter, honor killing has been justified," said Shahram, who was a regular panelist on a law show produced by Bridges TV. "It happens all the time. It's been practiced in countries such as Pakistan and in India."

Acquaintances said Mo Hassan was not overtly religious — co-workers did not see him pray, for instance. But he seemed to adhere to many traditional practices.

Nancy Sanders, the television station's news director for 2 1/2 years, remembers him asking her to move her feet during her job interview so he would not see her legs. She was wearing a skirt and stockings.

He also would not let women enter his office unless his wife was there, and he blocked the station from airing a story about the first Muslim woman to win the title of Miss England in 2005, Sanders said.

Acquaintances said Aasiya Hassan was trained as an architect. Sanders described her as obedient to her husband, and that she wore a traditional hijab for a time but later stopped without explanation.

'Gentle giant'
"She was beautiful, small, delicately built," she said, "while Mo would fill up a door frame. I always thought of him as a gentle giant."

Sanders, who left Bridges TV a year ago, said co-workers traded stories about Hassan's apparent violent streak, including one which had him running his wife's car off the road while the couple's two young children were inside. Aasiya herself never spoke of it, she said.

"I just do not feel it was an honor killing," Sanders added. "I think it was domestic abuse that got out of control."

Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for a copy of the order of protection issued against Mo Hassan. Divorce records are sealed in New York state. Aasiya Hassan's lawyer would not reveal the reasons for the divorce filing.

Hassan graduated with an MBA from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester in 1996, according to the TV station's Web site. Bridges broadcasts all over the United States and in Canada on various cable providers and Verizon FiOS. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the network was not broadcasting in the Buffalo area.

There was no answer at the network on Tuesday and its Web site has a message saying Bridges is shocked and saddened and requests privacy.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29245206/

Bridges TV GM Appeals for "Privacy" and Support In Wake of Murder Case

Station Embroiled in Controversy After CEO Charged With Grizzly Crime mwViews News -- February 18, 2009 BUFFALO, NY - (mwV) The interim general manager of Bridges TV, Hunaid Baliwala, made a public internet appeal today to respect "the right to privacy for the families and staff" in the aftermath of the brutal slaying of Aasiyah Hassan, estranged wife of Bridges CEO and co-founder, Muzzamil Hassan. Hassan allegedly decapitated his wife in his office on February 15 and then contacted the police. Details concerning the case remain sketchy but reportedly involved enforcement of a protective order that required Muzzamil Hassan to vacate the family home on February 6. In the wake of this controversy, the future of the syndicated station Hassan helped established to present a positive image of Islam for the American viewing public remains unclear as does the impact of Budaila's public appeal (see below). "Dear Friends,

My name is Hunaid Baliwala and I have been at Bridges since May of 2005. I am writing to you as the newly appointed interim General Manager of Bridges TV. Previously, I held a number of operations and business development roles.

We apologize that we have not been able to connect with you earlier, as we were trying to deal with this shocking event and did not have access to our facilities.

At Bridges TV, all the staff members are deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of Aasiya Hassan [Zubair] and subsequent arrest of Muzzammil Hassan. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the victim’s family. This appears to be the most tragic of domestic violence incidents and, although we have heard statistics that imply that more than three cases of domestic violence occur every day in the US, no one here could ever imagine that this may happen to our beloved colleague.

While the staff is obviously in a state of shock given how closely we all worked with both Aasiya and Muzzammil, we are all unwavering in our determination that, for the sake of Aasiyaʼs vision of this channel, we remain strong and continue the good work that she had initiated. We have a strong staff and I am confident in the success of the Company moving forward.

I would like to request that the right to privacy for the families and staff be respected as we continue to go about our daily business routine.

The two biggest issues that we currently face at Bridges TV are the negative publicity generated by this domestic violence incident and the ongoing funding constraint. Both are extremely time sensitive and are being addressed directly by myself and our Board of Directors (composed primarily of our investors). Without your support we would not have been able to come this far. Therefore, we value your continued support and will need it to get through this challenging time. If you have any ideas and suggestions please do not hesitate to contact me. Given all the myriad of activities at Bridges TV, I may not be able to respond to each correspondence but please let me assure you that all will be read and absorbed by our team. We are all resolute in fulfilling Aasiyaʼs mission for Bridges TV.

If you know anyone who would find this information useful or helpful please pass this along.

Hunaid Baliwala

Phone: 716-961-3140"

EM: hbaliwala@bridgestv.com"

Bridges TV Founder Accused of Beheading Wife

American-Islamic TV station owner accused of beheading his wife

By Associated Press
Sunday, February 15, 2009 - Added 1d 5h ago

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - A Buffalo-area man who runs an American-Islamic television station is accused of beheading his wife.

Orchard Park police say 44-year-old Muzzammil Hassan told police Thursday evening that his wife was dead at his office. That’s where police found the body of 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan.

Hassan is now charged with second-degree murder and police believe the killing occurred sometime late Thursday afternoon. Authorities say his wife had recently filed for divorce and had an order of protection that had him out of the home as of February 6th.

Hassan is the founder and chief executive of Bridges TV, which he launched in 2004 in hopes of portraying Muslims in a better light.

Police didn’t know Friday if Hassan had an attorney.

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view/2009_02_15_American-Islamic_TV_station_owner_accused_of_beheading_his_wife/srvc=home&position=recent

Muslim Women Get "Their Space" at Ning.com

Hayati "My Life" Social Network Gives Muslim Women "Their Space"

PRESS RELEASE, mwNews and Views
--February 15, 2009

MIDLOTHIAN, VA- A new social networking site for muslim woman integrating the latest web technologies went online yesterday at ning.com. Similar to the popular MySpace and Facebook online communities, Hayaati connects muslim women who join to blogs, videos, islamic study groups, and of course, each other. The private network for muslim women offers access to blogs, member photo galleries, forums, and video upload. Hayaati gives muslim women a secure, private place for creativity and self expression.

The decision to join the thousands of online communities at ning.com was made based on the popularity of the site's features. Several ning communities currently have very large membership bases, some in the tens of thousands. The ning site, which says the translation of the word means "peace", also has very easy-to-use, attractive user interfaces that personalize and enhance each member's online experience.

To learn more about Hayaati at ning.com, click on the Hayaati link or visit http://hayaati.ning.com.

[END]

Polygamist who tortured his family is sentenced to 7 life terms

The 'reign of terror' merits the harshest punishment, Riverside County judge says. Mansa Musa Muhummed starved, beat and imprisoned his 3 wives and 19 children for decades.

By David Kelly
February 14, 2009

A polygamist who tortured, starved, imprisoned and beat his wives and children for decades was sentenced to seven life terms in prison Friday by a judge who said the man's "reign of terror" warranted the harshest punishment available.

Mansa Musa Muhummed, 55, spoke before sentencing and denied ever mistreating his three wives and 19 children.

"I never tortured anyone," he told Riverside County Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson III. "I don't know where that came from."

The judge dismissed his comments. "Mr. Muhummed showed no remorse and accepted no responsibility for his twisted behavior, and the court is sending the strongest message possible," he said.

Family members filled the back row of the courtroom, some of the women wearing colorful head scarves.

"I'm very afraid of him. I really don't want him to get out of jail at all," his daughter Sharon Boddie, 28, told the judge. "Please, Your Honor, don't show him any mercy because he never showed any mercy to his kids."

Muhummed was arrested in 1999 at the family's house in rural Aguanga in Riverside County, but legal maneuvering delayed the trial for years.

Originally from Virginia, Muhummed came to California, converted to Islam and moved his family from place to place, living in houses, small apartments and vans.

Family members testified that he would beat them savagely with boat oars, hoses and electrical cords for any perceived infraction. Grounds for beatings included sneaking food, failing to recite a passage from the Koran accurately and not asking to use the bathroom. He also organized fights between his boys.

Muhummed tightly rationed food for everyone but himself. He carefully locked up the cabinets and chained the refrigerator. His children said he "ate like a king" while they went hungry.

In fact, they said, they went up to seven days without food. They had to beg for it or pick a lock and steal it. If caught, they were beaten or made to stand all night in a corner. Buckets in bedrooms usually served as their toilets, they said.

When police found Sharon Boddie in 1999, she was 18 years old, weighed 48 pounds and stood barely 4 feet tall. Her older brother Marlon weighed 53 pounds. Another brother, Curtis, 16, weighed 42 pounds.

Marlon Boddie, in an interview before the sentencing, said his father hung him upside down in the basement by a cord and beat him for hours. He said he was made to eat his own feces and vomit. Marlon Boddie, now 29, said he once smashed a bottle against his head in order to get sent to a hospital and out of the house.

"He broke my arm once and wrapped a towel around it real tight like a cast," he said. "Imagine what it's like to see your dad split open your head, then sew it up with a needle and thread."

Like many members of his family, Marlon Boddie is at loose ends, trying to navigate a world that was hidden from him for most of his life. The experience, he said, has irrevocably scarred him.

"It's like 20 years of my life has gone down the drain. Even now I get afraid to eat. I look around me to see if someone is watching," he said.

The family lived in Bakersfield, North Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Moreno Valley, Riverside and Aguanga. Muhummed made money selling his food stamps and collecting Social Security on himself and his children, family members said. His children were pulled out of elementary school or never sent. Some still struggle with basic skills such as reading, writing a check and shopping for groceries.

"When I got out I couldn't read," Sharon Boddie said. "I had never been to school."

The wives and children were often locked up in a dark garage for days with no heating, air conditioning or toilets.

In 1999, one of the wives slipped a letter to the mailman, begging for help. Police raided the Aguanga home and arrested Muhummed. Another wife, Marva Barfield, was jailed for a year on charges of child endangerment. She was released after agreeing to testify against her husband.

"I married him at 18 and got out at 45," Barfield said in court Friday. "I was scared of him. I want to apologize to my kids for not doing more, but I was truly afraid of him."

A letter was read from another daughter, Felicia Boddie, asking the judge to show mercy: "If he didn't have emotional problems, would he have done this? . . . I want the hate to end and the healing to begin."

When it was Muhummed's turn to talk, all but two family members left the courtroom. He spoke defiantly, saying that he was innocent and that his children were pressured to say they were abused.

"I made mistakes, but they know how I looked after them their whole lives," he said. "I tried to keep them together. My family never suffered the way they say they did."

The judge denied a defense motion to sentence Muhummed to one life term so he might be eligible for parole someday. Instead, he gave him a life sentence for each of the seven counts of torture. Muhummed isn't eligible for parole for at least 65 years, said his attorney, Peter Morreale.

Marta Butterfield, one of the jurors in the case, showed up for the sentencing. "I think he is such a monster," she said, "and I wanted to see him get everything he deserved."

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-torture14-2009feb14,0,3370120.story

david.kelly@latimes.com

Torture, Child Abuse Cited in Polygyny Case

California Polygamist Gets Life Term For Family Crimes

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/13/ap/national/main4801203.shtml

Murrieta, CA (AP) A self-proclaimed polygamist has been sentenced in California to life in prison for torturing some of his 19 children and falsely imprisoning two of his three wives.

Mansa Musa Muhummed (MAN'-suh MOOS'-uh Moh-HAH'-med) was sentenced Friday in Riverside County Superior Court, nearly a decade after his arrest. A judge imposed seven consecutive life sentences and nearly 17 years of other prison time.

Muhummed went on trial last year after years of maneuvering. Several of his children testified that they were starved, beaten and strung up with electrical cord in the basement of their home.

The 55-year-old Muhummed was convicted of seven counts of torture, 12 counts of child endangerment, four counts of spousal abuse and two counts of false imprisonment.

Was Nadya Suleman Seeking Fame?

Fame or Fortune? Was Nadya Motivated by Celebrity?

Nadya Suleman appeared in a KTLA video with Dr. Michael Kamrava of West Coast IVG Clinic in Beverly Hills, in 2006. The video discussed Kamrava's "guaranteed implantation seed method", a controversial procedure which injects the embryos into uterine tissue. Could the promise of fame and fortune have motivated Nadya to implant eight embryos?

The KTLA video raises more ethical issues regarding her relationship with her fertility doctor. . questions concerning medical ethnics and the doctor-patient relationship between Kamrava and Nadya Suleman. Ultimately, the decisions made will impact not only Kamrava and Nadya Suleman but the 14 children they brought into the world.

Watch Suleman call Dr. Kamrava's work "a miracle" in a KTLA video feature on Kamrava's clinic. You also get to see two of her other IVF kids.

(more at ttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/02/octo-mom-nadya.html)

Single Mother Defies Criticism for Octuplet Births

By Mike Celizic

TODAYShow.com contributor

updated 10:29 p.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 6, 2009

The Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets last week told TODAY’s Ann Curry in an exclusive interview that growing up as an only child, she had always dreamed of having “a huge family.” She also denied charges that she was irresponsible to have so many babies — especially with six other children already at home.

“People feel, you know, this woman is being completely irresponsible and selfish to bring these children in the world without a clear source of income and enough help to raise them,” Curry told Nadya Suleman in a segment that aired Friday on TODAY. “The world outside is saying, ‘What are you doing?’ ”

“I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling,” the 33-year-old single mom replied. Calm, poised and articulate in the glare of the media spotlight, Suleman added: “If I was just sitting down watching TV and not being as determined as I am to succeed and provide a better future for my children, I believe that would be considered, to a certain degree, selfish.”

---

'I love my children’
Suleman, who said she holds each premature infant 45 minutes each day, said she was hoping to have one more child after having six previous children, all of whom are under the age of 7. She said she had six embryos implanted, two of which resulted in twins. Curry reported that although Suleman has received disability payments from the state of California, she said she refuses to accept welfare payments. Suleman and her children live with her mother, Angela Suleman.

“All I wanted was children. I wanted to be a mom. That's all I ever wanted in my life. I love my children,” she told Curry.

Curry said that Suleman said she intends to return to college in the fall to complete a master’s degree in counseling. Suleman had worked in a state mental hospital from 1997-2006, but spent much of the time after 1999 on disability after injuring her back in a riot at the facility.

Suleman said she is a good mother.

“I'm providing myself to my children. I'm loving them unconditionally, accepting them unconditionally,” she told Curry. “Everything I do, I'll stop my life for them and be present with them. And hold them. And be with them. And how many parents do that? I'm sure there are many that do, but many don't. And that's unfortunate. That is selfish.”

‘Phenomenal risk’
Suleman said she was fully aware of the risks of carrying eight fetuses. “Those are my children, and that’s what was available,” she said. “It’s a gamble.”

In a separate segment, NBC’s chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, said the gamble didn’t end with the live births of all eight babies.

“That risk is not only to mom — her uterus can rupture and she can die — there’s a phenomenal risk to eight babies. Eight babies, by definition, cannot be born normal weight and robust,” Snyderman told TODAY’s Matt Lauer after watching Suleman’s interview with Curry.

She explained: “They’re going to watch these kids very carefully for eating problems, growing [problems], and then seizures, jaundice, heart problems, lung problems, blindness, developmental delays — there’s a laundry list of things. Long term, because some of these children will be physically or mentally challenged, there’s a looming price tag out here. The hospital bill alone will run $1.5 to $3 million. Forget about getting to college; just to get through special-needs stuff — it’s going to have to come from somewhere, either the taxpayers of California or her family or her church or the hospital. But she can’t do it alone.”

NBC contributor and psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz added that there will be emotional issues to deal with as well. “Undoubtedly these eight children are going to have issues: at the minimum, the issue of neglect,” Saltz told Lauer.

“Obviously, she’s saying she’s going to love them, but there are 14 children and [only] one of her,” Saltz continued. “There’s going to be an absence of some emotional needs. There will probably be developmental delays at best in these children; maybe learning disabilities. There are going to be major issues that they’re going to need various therapies for.”

Childhood dream
Suleman said she went to the same in vitro fertilization clinic to have all 14 of her children. All were conceived with donated sperm from the same father, Suleman said.

Suleman told Curry that the father is a bit overwhelmed right now, but she is hoping that he will want to get to know his children when he is ready.

“How did an only child end up with 14 children?” Curry asked Nadya Suleman. “That was always a dream of mine, to have a large family, a huge family, and I just longed for certain connections and attachments with another person that I really lacked, I believe, growing up,” she replied.

The entire exclusive interview will air along with exclusive video of the babies on TODAY Monday, Feb. 9, and on Dateline at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

“Describe what you felt you lacked within,” Curry said.

“Feeling of self and identity,” Suleman replied. “I didn't feel as though, when I was a child, I had much control of my environment. I felt powerless. And that gave me a sense of predictability. Reflecting back on my childhood, I know it wasn't functional. It was pretty dysfunctional, and whose isn't?”

Saltz later opined to Lauer that Suleman’s statement reveals emotional issues. “I think she’s in a bit of denial here and quite defensive, because in fact she does talk about the fact that this has been her life’s mission: to have babies, have babies, have babies. There’s an obsession to this, and I think it’s quite disturbing,” the psychiatrist said.

“When you don’t have a connection in childhood, you go see a therapist,” she added. “You don’t have 14 babies.”

An ethical debate
While the world celebrated the birth of fairly healthy octuplets, public sentiment has shifted as it's been revealed Suleman also has six other children, ages 2 to 7, and is a single parent who conceived all 14 of her children through in vitro fertilization.

The divorced single mom told Curry she tried to get pregnant for years before finally succeeding.

(full story and video at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29038814/)

Suleman Receiving Food Stamps, Disability Payments for Some of Her Children

Taxpayers May Pay for Octuplet Costs

USA Today News / Nation
-- February 11, 2009

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A big share of the financial burden of raising Nadya Suleman's 14 children could fall on the shoulders of California's taxpayers, compounding the public furor in a state already billions of dollars in the red.

Even before the 33-year-old single, unemployed mother gave birth to octuplets last month, she had been caring for her six other children with the help of $490 a month in food stamps, plus Social Security disability payments for three of the youngsters. The public aid will almost certainly be increased with the new additions to her family.

Also, the hospital where the octuplets are expected to spend seven to 12 weeks has requested reimbursement from Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, for care of the premature babies, according to the Los Angeles Times. The cost has not been disclosed.

Word of the public assistance has stoked the furor over Suleman's decision to have so many children by having embryos implanted in her womb. "It appears that, in the case of the Suleman family, raising 14 children takes not simply a village but the combined resources of the county, state and federal governments," Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten wrote in Wednesday's paper. He called Suleman's story "grotesque."

On the Internet, bloggers rained insults on Suleman, calling her an "idiot," criticizing her decision to have more children when she couldn't afford the ones she had, and suggesting she be sterilized.

"It's my opinion that a woman's right to reproduce should be limited to a number which the parents can pay for," Charles Murray wrote in a letter to the Los Angeles Daily News. "Why should my wife and I, as taxpayers, pay child support for 14 Suleman kids?"

She was also berated on talk radio, where listeners accused her of manipulating the system and being an irresponsible mother.

"From the outside you can tell that this woman was playing the system," host Bryan Suits said on the "Kennedy and Suits" show on KFI-AM. "You're damn right the state should step in and seize the kids and adopt them out."

Suleman's spokesman, Mike Furtney, urged understanding. "I would just ask people to consider her situation and she has been under a tremendous amount of pressure that no one could be prepared for," Furtney said.

A call to Suleman's publicist Mike Furtney was not immediately returned.

In her only media interviews, Suleman told NBC's "Today" she doesn't consider the public assistance she receives to be welfare and doesn't intend to remain on it for long. Also, a Nadya Suleman Family website has been set up to collect donations for the children. It features pictures of the mother and each octuplet and has instructions for making donations by check or credit card.

Suleman, whose six older children range in age from 2 to 7, said three of them receive disability payments. She said one is autistic, but she has not disclosed the other youngsters' disabilities, and refused to say how much they get in payments.

(full story at http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-02-11-octuplets-money_N.htm?csp=34)

Woman Asked to Remove Scarf to Enter Bank Felt "Naked"

By Charisse Yu, 10news.com, San Diego
- UPDATED: 2:47 pm PST February 3, 2009

Woman Claims Bank Singled Her Out For Head Scarf

SAN DIEGO-- A woman who wore an Islamic head scarf to a local bank said she was turned away and singled out, and is a victim of discrimination. Amal Hersi and her family moved to the U.S. from Somalia in search of freedom. Hersi said she's had the freedom she's wanted, up until last Saturday. "I felt like a criminal. I felt humiliated. I fell ashamed," said Hersi.

Hersi said she was waiting in line at the Navy Federal Credit Union in Mission Valley when she said she was stopped by an employee."So she goes, 'Ma'am, could you follow me?' And at that point I was like what did I do wrong?" said Hersi.Hersi said the reason was because she wore a traditional Muslim scarf."For her to approach me in front of 40 people and they're actually looking at me thinking, you know, what's wrong with her or why is she being singled out," said Hersi.Even after telling the employee she wore the scarf for religious reasons, she was asked to remove it. She compares herself to any other person wearing a garment, like a Jewish man wearing a Yarmulke or a Catholic nun wearing a habit."I feel naked because this is what I know; this is how I grew up. It's my religion," said Hersi.

Full story at http://www.10news.com/news/18625220/detail.html#-