MUZZAMMIL S. HASSAN is about to make history. The 39-year-old former banker with an MBA is about to launch the first-ever Islamic channel broadcast in the United States. Bridges TV will broadcast in English 24-hours a day beginning this October, just before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Its slogan: Where American Muslims Come Home.

Bridges TV will target the 8 million American and Canadian Muslims in North America, marketing itself as a news and lifestyle channel rather than a religious broadcaster, although it will carry programming that reflects American Muslim values.

Our goal is that Bridges TV is more of a lifestyle and cultural channel that reflects the way American Muslims live, says Hassan. We are not necessarily an evangelical missionary channel like 700 Club or similar TV channels.

Celebrating the American Muslim experience, the channel will showcase the rich diversity and talents of the community, offering programs to American Muslims and non-Muslims alike, including sports, advice, news, music, childrens shows, religion, shows for women, sitcoms, drama, finance, health, travel and food shows.

Bridges TV will be available via cable and satellite beginning with 8 hours of programming a day, gradually fanning out to offer 24 hours of programming seven days a week.

Hassan has been able to bring to life what began as a mere suggestion in late 2001. The idea came about while he and his wife, Aasiya, were listening to a radio talk show in their car in New York. With the 9/11 terror attacks on New York and Washington just months before, the radio talk show turned ugly toward Muslims.

Angered by the steady stream of Muslim bashing in post-September 11 America, Hassans wife suggested he use his business background and create a medium that would celebrate the American Muslim.

It was primarily just an idea and a concept, Hassan says today. Since then, we covered a lot of ground to get this far. I think things are going quite well and most importantly the response in the community has been very, very good.

A comprehensive market research study on American Muslims, compiled by Cornell University in April 2002 on behalf of Bridges TV, found that American Muslims constitute a young, well-educated and affluent target market.

The poll, sent to 5,000 American Muslims via mailing lists of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), found there was a need for a channel that would cater to the interests of the American Muslim community, and set itself apart from foreign language channels such as Arabic ART-TV, Urdu Prime TV and Hindi ZEE-TV.

Foreign language channels available in the US appeal to immigrant parents but not to the generation born here. And the domestic channels dont really have a focus toward the Muslim community, says Hassan. So this is a completely unserved field there is a need for an [English-language] American Muslim channel.

Topping the list of programs American Muslims most like to see were talk shows on Islam, as well as features on growing up as a Muslim in America, childrens issues and news shows.

Hassan established the channel as a subscription-based cable and satellite TV network available for $10-15 a month. The channel has already received wide support in its target community, with over 8,500 members already paying a fee of $10 a month for Bridges TV before the channel has even been launched.

Hassan says executives in the cable and satellite industry have called this type of demand unprecedented. Another 50,000 people have already signed up for Bridges TV once it goes on air.

These are pretty solid numbers, Hassan says. Our short-term goal is to convert these 8,500 paying members and 50,000 registered member homes to subscribers.

Those numbers have also helped Hassan make the case that there is great demand for an American Muslim channel in a bid to secure major carrier agreements.

Hassan has relied on online advertising, local community events and some telemarketing to get support for Bridges TV. While he declines to release figures, he says he has raised enough capital to launch the channel and hopes the broadcaster can break even in its second year.

Bridges TV has already collected enough material to cover the entire first year of broadcast, a feat he says was possible because of the tremendous amount of talent in the American Muslim community that has already produced talk shows, documentaries, short films, childrens programming, comedy and movies on cable television.

The channel has also received support from prominent leaders in the American Muslim community, US government officials, and American Muslim celebrities.

Dr. Maher Hathout, a senior adviser to the Muslim Public Affairs Council, says the idea of an American Muslim channel is long overdue. All those who believe in the values of building bridges and knowing the truth and creating harmony for our society should feel the honor and obligation to support this great endeavor.

Even The Champ is behind the venture: Three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali says, I think that the best way to overcome the erroneous image of American Muslims is tolet the rest of America get to know us the way they would get to know their next door neighbor, seeing us in natural situations. Bridges TV will help make this happen.

US government officials have also welcomed the idea of the channel. Stuart Holliday, alternate representative to the UN and former media assistant to Secretary of State Colin Powell, says he values the expression of interest in promoting understanding and tolerance that are hallmarks ofviable multi-ethnic, democratic and pluralist modern societies.

While Hassan admits the days have become increasingly shorter since he began working on the project in December 2001, he says the communitys excitement about an American Muslim channel has been a great source of encouragement.

America needs a Muslim broadcaster, he says, and Bridges TV will make a contribution to both his faith and his country. With the launch just months away, he hopes Bridges TV will live up to the name by building bridges between American Muslims and mainstream America.

My goals are not lofty. I hope it will create more of an understanding and appreciation both ways, he says. Mutual understanding is a two-way bridge. et