Heart and Soul: Hassan Murder Brings Awareness

February 09, 2011
By Christina Abt

It happened in a nearby town, in a community of people that we call neighbors. That’s a big part of what draws us to the story of the unimaginably violent beheading of Aasiya Hassan by her husband, Muzzammil. It could have happened where we live, to our neighbors, our friends, our family. 

It has been two years since the Hassan murder shocked our Western New York community to its family-oriented core.  And now the month-long murder trial is dragging us into the Hassans’ dysfunctional marriage and their distorted family life.  It is much like a roadside accident from which we desperately want to look away, but somehow cannot.  Yet through all the gruesome trial details and ridiculous legal maneuvers, a positive has appeared.  There is news related to the senseless death of Aasiya Hassan that actually allows a ray of hope to filter into our community.

For anyone unfamiliar with FJC, it is a local not-for-profit providing one-stop services for domestic violence victims and their children.  Until now, the sole location for the FJC has been in downtown Buffalo.  However, FJC Executive Director Mary Travers Murphy made it a personal mission to establish this southtowns satellite office.  If Murphy’s name seems familiar it could be for a number of high profile reasons, the most central being that she served as Orchard Park’s supervisor at the time of Aasiya Hassan’s murder. 

Even now, the memory of the police call that officially informed Murphy of Aasiya’s death triggers her emotions.  Murphy knew Aasiya. She interacted with the Orchard Park resident on a daily basis at the village convenience store.  Yet Murphy never imagined that the gentle, welcoming woman who made her coffee each morning was being victimized in her home, in her life. It was a reality that ended up haunting Murphy. So upon completing her term of office and accepting the FJC directorship, Murphy became focused on trying to prevent such tragedy from ever again happening in her community.

According to Murphy, the satellite office phone began ringing from the moment it was connected, even before their doors were ready to open.  She’s not surprised.  Aasiya’s murder made it abundantly clear that there is a need for domestic violence outreach in this area.  It’s also why, at the FJC’s satellite grand opening this Saturday, (Feb. 12) Murphy will remember and honor Aasiya for her life, as well as for her death.  It will be a painfully bittersweet moment no doubt.  Yet ultimately, the creation of this domestic violence office in Aasiya Hassan’s memory will allow FJC to fulfill their mission as a place where violence stops, where families heal and where hope is realized.

It happened in a nearby town, in a community of people that we call neighbors.  But now with the support of the Family Justice Center, the potential for domestic violence will be reduced and hopefully one day eliminated in the towns where we live, among our neighbors, our friends, our family.