Author: Judea Pearl
Publication: The Wall Street Journal
Date: February 20, 2003
The world must stand against the
evil that took my son's life.
Tomorrow will mark the first anniversary
of the day the world learned of the murder of my son Daniel Pearl, a reporter
for this newspaper. It is time to step back and reflect on the significance
of this tragedy.
Much has been written on the new
challenges that Danny's murder represents to international journalism.
But relatively little attention was given to one aspect of the motives
of the perpetrators, specifically to the role of anti-American and anti-Semitic
sentiments in the planning and execution of the murder. In fact, what shocked
and united people from all over the world was the nature of those motives.
The murder weapon in Danny's case
was aimed not at a faceless enemy or institution, but at a gentle human
being--one whose face is now familiar to millions of people around the
world. Danny's murderers spent a week with him; they must have seen his
radiating humanity. Killing him so brutally, and in front of a video camera,
marked a new low in man's inhumanity to man. People of all faiths were
thus shocked to realize that mankind can still be dragged to such depths
by certain myths and ideologies.
Danny was killed because he represented
us, namely the ideals that every civilized person aspires to uphold--modernity,
openness, pluralism, freedom of inquiry, truth, honesty and respect for
all people. Decent people of all backgrounds have consequently felt personally
targeted in this crime, and have been motivated to carry on Danny's spirit.
Reactions to Danny's death varied
from community to community. In Pakistan, many have condemned the murder
as a barbaric act carried out by a minority of fanatics at the fringe of
society, while some find absolution in assuming that Danny was a spy. Sadly,
anti-Semitism and sympathies with the perpetrators, as revealed in the
trial of Omar Sheikh, seem to be more widespread than openly admitted.
The trial itself is at a puzzling standstill, with no date set for appeal
decision. In Saudi Arabia, the murder video has been used to arouse and
recruit new members to terrorist organizations. In Europe, Danny's murder
has been condemned as an attack against journalism, while the anti-American,
anti-Jewish sentiments were played down considerably. This is understandable,
considering the anti-American and anti-Western sentiment echoed in editorials
in some respectable European newspapers.
In contrast, Danny's captors concentrated
on his Jewish and Israeli heritage. Evidently the murderers were confident
that Danny's Jewish connections were sufficient to license the gruesome
murder they were about to commit. Such a brazen call to condone the killing
of a human being by virtue of his religion or heritage is strongly reminiscent
of the horrors perpetrated by Nazi Germany.
In a world governed by reason and
leadership, one would expect world leaders to immediately denounce such
racist calls before they become an epidemic. However, President Bush was
the only world leader to acknowledge the connection between Danny's murder
and the rise of anti-Semitism: "We reject the ancient evil of anti-Semitism
whether it is practiced by the killers of Daniel Pearl or by those who
burn synagogues in France." No European head of state rose to John F. Kennedy's
"Ich bin ein Berliner" with the morally equivalent statement "Today, I
am a Jew."
Not surprisingly, our unguided world
has seen an alarming rise of anti-Semitic activity in the past year. Tens
of millions of Muslims have become unshakably convinced that Jews were
responsible for the Sept. 11 attack. Egypt's state-controlled television
aired a 30-part program based on the notorious anti-Semitic book "The Protocols
of the Elders of Zion," and Egyptians were fed another fantasy, that Jews
are plotting to take over the world. Syria's defense minister, Mustafa
Tlas, released the eighth edition of his book, "The Matzah of Zion," in
which he accuses Jews of using the blood of Christians to bake matzah for
Passover. And on the sideline, while these flames of hatred were consuming
sizable chunks of the world's population, traditionally vocal champions
of antiracism remained silent.
Against this tide of madness the
world is about to remember Daniel Pearl--a Jew, a citizen of the world,
and a dialogue maker who formed genuine connections among people of different
backgrounds. In Danny's spirit, we have asked every community that plans
to commemorate the anniversary of his death to invite a neighboring synagogue,
mosque, church or temple of different faith to join in a prayer for a sane
and humane world, a world free of the hatred that took Danny's life. Interfaith
memorials will take place, starting tonight, in Los Angeles, New York,
Toronto, London and Jerusalem, with additional services planned world-wide.
We hope that the combination of
multifaith attendance, joint statements against intolerance, and the unifying
global spirit of the day will serve as catalysts for building alliances
against the rising tide of fanaticism, dehumanization, and xenophobia.
Mr. Pearl is the father of Daniel
Pearl and president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation (www.danielpearl.org).
