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Beheaded Wife Feared Abusive Husband's Wrath
Colleagues say woman tried to salvage struggling TV venture
By Wesley Oliver
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Posted Feb 22, 09 4:16 PM CST
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(Newser)
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Now that authorities have charged Muzzammil Hassan with beheading his wife Aasiya, reports are surfacing that he had beaten her for years, the Buffalo News reports. Local police knew of the violence, but didn't act because Aasiya refused to press charges. “She was afraid she would cause Bridges TV to fail,” said a colleague, of the Muslim lifestyle channel the couple had started.
Aasiya regularly phoned police, alleging beatings and imprisonment. She also confided in friends, but wouldn't reach out to the local Muslim community, which at times pressures husbands to reform. As for Muzzammil, he had been divorced twice and reportedly took anti-depressants. When Aasiya filed for divorce and kicked him out earlier this month, "he saw it as losing everything... going back to square one, and he snapped," a friend said.