Headchopper 'Mo' Hassan Found Guilty

The poor guy. Portrayed by his defense attorney (himself) that he was a victim "psychological rape" who was "a slave, prisoner and hostage in his marriage." So the only recourse he had was to cut his wife's head off.

Have a nice life, Mo.

A jury of eight men and four women has found Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing and beheading of his wife, Aasiya, in February 2009.

The jury reached its verdict after 14 days of testimony and arguments spread over the course of three weeks in Erie County Court. The verdict carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 25 years to life. Sentencing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. March 9.

The jury took only 50 minutes to deliberate, clearly moved by the mountain of evidence and eyewitness testimony presented by prosecutors Colleen Curtin Gable and Paul Bonanno that Hassan was a longtime abuser who methodically planned the brutal, blood-soaked attack on his wife in the darkened hallway of the Bridges TV studio.

In handing up its guilty verdict, the jury also repudiated the claims of Hassan, 46, that he — not his wife — was the victim of battered spouse syndrome.

The verdict wraps up weeks of drama and astounding legal maneuvers in a case in which the man charged with murder ultimately took over his own defense and claimed the witness stand for four days as he dragged jurors through his observations during the course of his eight-year marriage.

During his two-hour closing statement, Hassan repeatedly told jurors that the prosecution was building its case solely based on vindictive falsehoods spread by his wife, Aasiya, in the last two years of their marriage.

"All these people are hearing stories," he told the jury in closing arguments. "They want you to believe stories are evidence. They have no witnesses."

He also said the judge, prosecutors, police officers and medical professionals who have testified against him are doing so based on their preconceived notion that only women can be abuse victims. In closing arguments, he referred to their adherence to a "religion of patriarchy."

He pointed out that before the last two years of his marriage, he had a "perfect record" and was known to police as "soft-spoken," "respectful" and "polite" man.

"Suddenly, in the last two years, there's a skyscraper of complaints. Did I suddenly have a major personality change?" he asked.

He also accused Aasiya of using their children as weapons and pawns in their marriage, and for heaping rage, threats and insults upon him. But to the outside world, she seemed a lovely woman.

"Only the victim sees the evil side," he said. "The world does not."

Hassan finished by saying he was the victim of "psychological rape" and likened himself to a slave, prisoner and hostage in his marriage.

'This is Not Burger King Where You Get to Have It Your Way Every Time'

You have to feel sorry for a judge in cases like this, dealing with psychopaths like a guy named Mo.

Muzzammil S. "Mo" Hassan will be allowed to act as his own lawyer in the jury trial over the beheading of his estranged wife two years ago, Erie County Judge Thomas P. Franczyk ruled this morning.

Jeremy D. Schwartz, Hassan's latest lawyer, told the judge that weekend talks with the jailed cable television entrepreneur failed to resolve what he called the "irreconcilable differences" they have on their approach to the case.

Hassan, 46, jailed since he turned himself in at Orchard Park police headquarters about an hour after the Feb. 12, 2009 killing of Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37, told the judge Schwartz will remain his legal adviser and "will help me with legal procedure" that must be followed.

Franczyk noted that the defendant must have an idea in his head of how a lawyer should represent him. "This is not Burger King where you get to have it your way every time."

The judge also said: "Bottom line is [Hassan] does have the right to steer his own ship even if unwittingly he steers it into an iceberg."

Schwartz is actually the fourth lawyer representing Mo, so I guess Mo makes it five. Good luck explaining the head-chopping, Mo.

You can already see he's struggling. Hope he doesn't lose his head or anything.

Lawyers Say Headchopper's Religion Has Nothing to Do With His Headchopping

I bet if he ever went to a tea party that would be cited as a reason by the kook lefty blogs. We're supposed to believe a guy whose religion involves lots of headchopping cuts off his wife's head yet he wasn't at all influenced by Islam. Sure, that's believable.

Lawyers for the founder of an Islam-oriented television station who is accused of beheading his wife say it's ridiculous to think religion has anything to do with the case as they pursue a psychiatric defence.

Muzzammil “Mo” Hassan appeared briefly in a Buffalo courtroom for procedural motions Friday in advance of his second-degree murder trial. The trial was expected to start this month, but is now slated to begin in September because of a change in defense lawyers.

I took a ride over to Brooklyn this morning and secured the rights to a bridge that'll take you into Manhattan. Act now for a bargain price.

Buffalo Headchopper Claims He Was a Battered Spouse

Quite a unique defense for this practitioner of the Religion of Peace.

The judge in Muzzammil S. "Mo" Hassan's murder case today barred his new attorney from using an emotional-disturbance defense and said he would only grant the jailed businessman further delays in his trial based solely "in the interests of justice."

Hassan is accused of beheading his estranged wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan, 37, last February.

Hassan's new defense attorney, Frank M. Bogulski, today told reporters that he is "confident" he can get an acquittal for Hassan on an unprecedented defense combining psychiatric elements and justification based on claims Hassan was "a battered" spouse who was verbally abused and humiliated by his wife.

Homicide Prosecutor Colleen Curtin Gable, though, noted that Aasiya Zubair Hassan was beheaded about a week after she began formal divorce proceedings.

And Gable today won her months-old motion to bar a psychiatric defense.

The judge told Bogulski he can make motions in coming months seeking permission to reinstate a psychiatric defense but as of now, such a defense claiming Hassan was emotionally out of control when he killed his wife "is precluded."

Nothing like a little alleged verbal abuse to turn you into a headchopping monster. Scary thing is they only need one idiot juror to believe him.

Muslim Activist Frets Over Buffalo Headchopper: 'The Right Wing Is Going To Run With It and Misuse It'

How exactly is commenting on this story misusing it? I guess they prefer we pretend none of this ever happened and make believe that Islam is a gentle, peaceful religion.

Sorry, no can do.

The crime was so brutal, shocking and rife with the worst possible stereotypes about their faith that some U.S. Muslims thought the initial reports were a hoax.

The harsh reality of what happened in an affluent suburb of Buffalo, N.Y. — the beheading of 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan and arrest of her estranged husband in the killing — is another crucible for American Muslims.

Here was a couple that appeared to be the picture of assimilation and tolerance, co-founders of a television network that aspired to improve the image of Muslims in a post 9-11 world.

Now, as Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan faces second-degree murder charges, those American Muslims who have spoken out are once again explaining that their faith abhors such horrible acts, and they are using the tragedy as a rallying cry against domestic violence.

The killing and its aftermath raise hard questions for Muslims — about gender issues, about distinctions between cultural and religious practices, and about differing interpretations of Islamic texts regarding the treatment of women.

"Muslims don't want to talk about this for good reason," said Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur, a Muslim author and activist. "There is so much negativity about Muslims, and it sort of perpetuates it. The right wing is going to run with it and misuse it. But we've got to shine a light on this issue so we can transform it."

There is evidence of movement in that direction in the 10 days since the Hassan slaying. In an open letter to American Muslim leaders, Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali of Sterling, Va., vice president of the Islamic Society of North America, said "violence against women is real and cannot be ignored."

He urged that imams and community leaders never second-guess a woman in danger, and said women seeking divorces because of physical abuse should not be viewed as bringing shame to their families.

Muslim women's advocates consider the statement significant after years of indifference in a community which has seen only recent progress — for example, the opening of shelters for battered Muslim women in a few major cities.

"This is a horrible tragedy, but it gives us a window," said Abdul-Ghafur, editor of the anthology "Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak." "The next time a woman comes to her imam and says, 'He hit me,' the reply might not be, 'Be patient, sister, is there something you did, sister? Is there something you can do?' The chances are greater the imam will say, 'This is unacceptable.'"

Goof luck with that.

Here's a helpful suggestion from the evil right: How about going to the police the next time your husband hits you instead of some useless imam?

Perhaps also the Associated Press should think twice about going to the Islamic Society of North America for a quote, considering they have ties to terrorism. You know, that could perpetuate "negative" stereotypes used by those mean old rightwingers.

Islamic Rage Boy On Buffalo Headchopper

A gem from our friends at The Nose on Your Face.

Rage Boy is most upset there's no video of the latest Muslim atrocity.

Jimmy Carter on Bridges TV

Surely by now you've all ready about Muzzammil Hassan, owner and founder of Bridges TV, who last week became Hassan Chop by beheading his wife.

That was on Thursday. The day before, February 11, the guest of honor on the program Democracy Now was none other that the esteemed former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, spewing his usual pro-Palestinian bilge.

Apparently Carter is so desperate for attention he'll appear anywhere.

Part 2 of the interview is here.

'Murders Are Being Committed In the US Every Day By People of All Faiths'

While technically that statement may be true, you also don't see people of all other religions chopping people's heads off, outside maybe mob hits.

Maybe instead of lopping off his wife's head, this monster should have just lined up for some bailout money.

An upstate TV exec who set up a channel promoting Muslims as peace-loving people was stressed about his failing business in the days before he allegedly chopped off his estranged wife's head, a friend of the couple said yesterday.

An order of protection barring Muzzammil Hassan, 44, from the couple's upstate home had been taken out by his wife, Aasiya, 37, less than a week before she died.

The couple was in the process of divorcing after bouts of domestic violence, her lawyer told the Buffalo News.

Hassan, who founded Bridges TV in 2004 to counter anti-Islam stereotypes following 9/11, turned himself in to cops Thursday in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park. Police later found his beheaded wife in the TV studios.

He was charged with murder.

"He was worried about the station's future," said Dr. Khalid Qazi, a friend of the couple and president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York, who last spoke to the Hassans a week ago.

Maybe the next time some Muslims open a network they ought to call it Excuses. After all, they're never responsible for anything.

Qazi said the killings went against the teachings of Islam and damaged the image of Muslims that Hassan worked to promote.

"Domestic violence is despicable, and Islam condones it in no way whatever," he said.

Murders are being committed in the US every day by people of all faiths."