Remembering a Fellow Journalist

Five years ago, Wall Street Journal report Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan while trying to get a rare interview with a local Sheik. After an exhaustive search and rescue mission, the world learned the shocking, tragic, and brutal truth about his end as he was beheaded at the hands of his captors.

While the ruthless, inhumane terrorists that kidnapped Daniel held him captive, they repeatedly asked him what his religion was. Fully knowing what the consequences of an honest answer would be, he bravely looked them in the eye and coolly responded over and over again that he was Jewish. This refusal to buckle even under the most extreme circumstances serves as testament to his strong character, and dedication to his convictions.

Daniel Pearl dedicated his life to exposing different sides to stories that people would otherwise have never seen nor heard. He made friends wherever he went, regardless of race, sex, religion or denomination. Through his journalistic work, compassion, and love of music he was able to transcend these barriers, and he vigilantly worked towards a better world.

The Middle East is currently rife with tension, and this conflict has spread beyond the borders of these hostile lands into the very depths of our souls here in the West. Sadly, this conflict has manifested itself into an almost “Jews vs. Muslims” battle where each religious group attempts to uncover the other’s malicious and unfiltered evil.

Daniel Pearl saw beyond this conflict, and spent much of his journalistic years exposing stories that Westerners would have normally never hear about from areas such as Pakistan, Iran, and many other countries from this region. He saw that people around the world are just that, people. The vast majority of human beings are not bloodthirsty and hateful, they just want to live peacefully and have fulfilling lives surrounded by their loved ones.

In my parent’s synagogue the other day during Rosh Ha’Shana, one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar, a man addressed the congregation basically saying that Iran must be harshly dealt with. He said that Ahmadinejad would readily drop an atomic bomb on Tel-Aviv the moment he had the chance, and that we must not stand for this and act accordingly. Although he did not directly say we should obliterate Tehran off the face of the earth, the intention of his speech was quite clear.

Such blindly hateful remarks, the kind that we decry here constantly in the United States but seem to reciprocate, can lead to nowhere but more violence and destruction. In Buddhism, it is a common practice to visualize one’s enemy and behold them as your supreme Guru. By doing so, the hoped for result is that the practitioner will realize how much of one’s own suffering is created not by an externalities, but from within.

In the upcoming days, President Ahmadinejad will be visiting New York. He will be a guest speaker at Columbia University, as well as at the United Nations. Perhaps a different response will be elicited by trying this practice of finding the good in our perceived enemies, instead of greeting them with banners that say, “Go to hell”.

What is being suggested is not to greet such leaders with bouquets of flowers, and Hershey’s Kisses. It is common knowledge that this regime is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, violently punishes homosexuality, and oppresses women among a number of other tragic practices. The point being made is that greeting such a person with equally hateful responses does not bolster our position in the West; it only makes us look hypocritical.

All too often on our television screens we see terribly sad images from the Middle East of people gathering in circles to burn Israeli and American flags, and holding up signs equating these states with Nazi Germany. Such nonsense is dangerous, and if we continue to counter these practices in the United States with similar behavior it is this journalist’s opinion that the human race is in store for a short and sad demise.

Thankfully, there are still those who have not given up hope and also believe that “giving them a taste of their own medicine” is not the best course of action to solving our modern day dilemmas. Shortly following Pearl’s death, his family united to create the Daniel Pearl Foundation. The Foundation was formed to further the ideals that inspired Daniel's life and work. Its mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and innovative communications.

Since its inception the Foundation has grown tremendously, and has influenced people around to the world to change their perspectives in profound ways. This October will be the 6^th Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days, where musicians from around the world will dedicate events in the theme of, “Harmony for Humanity”. You can check out the website at www.danielpearlmusicdays.org