The Pearl Project – I made it!

I glanced at the subject of the e-mail: ‘You have to see this.’ I clicked on the attachment, ominously named ‘Execution of a spy,’ unprepared for what I was about to see. It was then that I witnessed it – the inhumane, barbaric act of terror, images of which have haunted me since.

“Pass it on,” said the e-mail. “Let the world know.”

Disgusted, I hit delete.

That – was my introduction to Daniel Pearl. Horrified, I looked up Daniel Pearl on the internet and was shocked to learn that he was a journalist who had lived in India. Ashamed that I had been oblivious to his existence and his kidnapping, I faithfully pursued every news clip and article that followed.

That was in 2002.

A year later, A Mighty Heart was published. The book helped me glimpse into his life – the closest, I can ever come to knowing Daniel Pearl. But it also left me feeling helpless.

Even before the book became a bestseller – long before it was reduced to a $5-dollar paperback, stacked in the lonely corners of the discount section – the world knew Daniel Pearl’s fate. Still, every time I read the book, I cannot help hoping – almost willing it to end differently. It never stopped me from wishing for Daniel Pearl to miraculously make it back alive.

I know I have no control over the past, but maybe I can help change the future. Being part of the nine-member team involved in the Daniel Pearl Project – an investigative reporting project that examines what really happened to Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl after being kidnapped and murdered in Karachi – I hope I can live up to the goals this project has set forth. This Pearl Project is my opportunity to play a small role in the life of a person I never knew – but strangely feel so connected to.

Being part of this project means more to me than just three credits. This is important because Daniel Pearl was a sincere journalist just doing his job.

It’s important because his family deserves justice. He deserves justice

It’s important because his death should not be reduced to a barbaric video that is mass circulated on the Internet for amusement.

It’s important because more than 660 journalists have been killed since 1992 while reporting on the job.

It’s important because Daniel Pearl’s last words, “I am Jewish”, showed that it is possible to find dignity in one's identity even in the darkest moments.

I have to admit, I have vested interests in taking this class. When I read A Mighty Heart for the second time several months ago, trying to establish if the movie had done justice to the book, I started researching groups like Jaish-e-Mohamed and Lashkar-e-Toiba on the internet. I spent extensive periods of time looking up the history of Mossad and the workings of the ISI.

But there was one brief moment when I hesitated, afraid to continue my research. I was, after all, in a country where privacy is a myth – and the Patriot Act, a reality. I am a foreigner in America.

That moment disappeared just as fleetingly as it had come, and I strengthened my resolve to go on. This class is an opportunity for me to overcome an infesting fear of insecurity, fear I know the Pearl family felt when they had to conceal their heritage to protect Daniel from harm.

For me, the Pearl Project stands for what Daniel Pearl embodied till the very end – an undefeated spirit. This project is important because it is our responsibility as journalists to fight for Daniel Pearl.

Danny Pearl must not be forgotten.