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A \u2018Muslim Idol\u2019 show? Naah<\/div>\n

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Three years in the making, American Muslim-oriented Bridges TV<\/a> began broadcasting<\/a> this week with an initial 50,000 cable and satellite TV subscribers (there is a live<\/a> internet stream if you want a preview), following a press conference in Buffalo, NY where organizers invited both Christian and Jewish clergy to lead an interfaith benediction. Bridges TV founder and Chief Executive Muzzammil Hassan<\/a>, who came to the United States from Pakistan in 1979, said on Friday his wife came up with the idea in December 2001 while listening to the radio on a road trip and hearing tirades against Muslims following the events of September 11th. \u201cOur target audience has told us some of the foreign channels are pretty one-sided, and some of the domestic channels are pretty one-sided the other way,\u201d Hassan said. \u201c[But] Bridges TV is not going to be an Al-Jazeera. It\u2019s going to be a very patriotic channel.\u201d In order to demonstrate the viability to potential investors, Hassan sought 10,000 paid subscriptions before the channel was even launched, a goal which was reached ahead of schedule. \u201cWhen we met with Comcast,\u201d Hassan said, \u201cthe comment they made was we have never seen this type of demand before\u201d (sorry Daniel<\/a>). Hassan then turned to businessmen and media investors to create the holding company, raising up to $10 million from more than 50 Americans (only). Other notable supporters include Imam Warith Deen Muhammad<\/a> and Muhammad Ali (there\u2019s even a Bridges weblog<\/a>). \u201cWe have briefed the U.S. State Department,\u201d notes Hassan, \u201cand have consistently received positive feedback.\u201d Even better feedback came from the legions of American Muslims who implored Hassan to follow through. \u201cMost American Muslims do not identify with these stereotypes (of terrorism),\u201d said<\/a> Hassan. \u201cRather, their greatest worries in life may be about such things as their children\u2019s health, paying their taxes by the deadline, who will win American Idol or socializing with friends.\u201d Programming ideas have continued to flood<\/a> in from the channel\u2019s supporters. \u201cWe will focus on things unique to the American Muslim experience,\u201d Hassan said<\/a>. \u201cThe melting of ethnicities, free-speech issues, or how my daughter is being told by her Islamic schoolteacher that she can\u2019t go out for Halloween because it\u2019s pagan or satanic. We could build a whole sitcom on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com.\u00a0 He is based in London, England.\n<\/p>\n

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