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"