First U.S. Muslim cable network debuts

With American Muslims an untapped television market and heightened interest in Islam among non-Muslims, the first-ever American Muslim television network has begun broadcasting nationwide.

Many American Muslims have anxiously awaited the debut as a signal that Muslims are gaining recognition and acceptance on the American cultural landscape.

“Bridges TV,” the brainchild of New York businessman Muzzammil S. Hassan, is directed at English-speaking Muslims or those of Muslim descent. Hassan claims that there are 8 million such Muslims, evenly divided among those of Arab, South Asian, African-American and “Other” descent.

Other statistics cite figures of between 2.5 and 6 million Muslims in the United States.

The network launched Nov. 30 with a news program, “Bridges News,” which is hosted by a former NBC producer, and will offer other shows including sitcoms, cooking shows, movies and talk shows.

More than 10,000 Muslims paid a monthly fee over the past year to support the nascent network before it began broadcasting, says Hassan. They are motivated, he said, by a desire to be considered part of the cultural mainstream. He said they also want to challenge commonly held misconceptions about the world’s second-largest religion.

Religion News Service