| A BETTER WORLD IN MEMORY OF DANIEL PEARL |
|
The Boston Globe - February 23, 2003
By Zainab Al-Suwaij
One year ago, a gang of thugs in Pakistan kidnapped and murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in the name of Islam. This act of terror was a shock to the world, not only because it showed the grim face of religious intolerance, but also because Pearl – a bright, young journalist who told the stories of people from around the world – was the victim.
Memorial services and interfaith gatherings are being held this weekend in Los Angeles, New York, London, and beyond to celebrate Pearl's life. I will be joining a vigil today in Boston because I want to remember a fellow American and because I am afraid that the forces of hatred that caused his murder have not disappeared. Although Pakistani courts have convicted the men who murdered Pearl, the religious intolerance that his murderers celebrate seems just as strong today as one year ago.
At the time, I, like the rest of America, followed Pearl's plight. Although I had never heard of this journalist before, I hoped his kidnappers would eventually release their hostage. But then we all helplessly watched the video of Pearl saying his last words: "I am a Jew, and my father is a Jew."
Unfortunately, thugs operating in the name of Islam continue to target civilians around the world - from Bali to Manila to Mombassa. Hundreds of people - from various religious and ethnic backgrounds, including fellow Muslims - have been killed. After a while, we no longer feel so much outrage about each attack, and the suffering of fellow human beings almost seems expected.
To remember Daniel Pearl is to remind ourselves of the human side of terror and intolerance. One year ago, we saw Pearl as a son, a husband, and even a father. We waited anxiously to see him rescued. All that emerged was a video of his execution, which is still popular in many Persian Gulf states.
Two weeks ago, a friend showed me a link to the video on the Internet. I had not thought about Pearl in months and did not know about the video's graphic content. What I saw made me physically ill. For three days I could not eat, and I walked around in a daze.
When I confided to a friend who asked why I looked so sick, he told me that Pearl's mother, Ruth, is a fellow Iraqi, a Jew who was forced to flee Baghdad because of religious persecution and intimidation. My heart broke again. Have we not learned the lessons of the past? How much longer will we hate and murder in the name of religion? I felt a deep shame.
But feeling shame accomplishes little. I decided that I had to do something in Pearl's memory, and helped organize today's vigil.
It will be a small interfaith event, with readings by local artists and writers, including an imam.
According to Muslim tradition, the "sanawiyya," or anniversary of a death, is observed with a gathering of family and friends to read from the Koran and give food to the poor. Muslims believe that the act of mourning is a reward in itself. Through the suffering and sadness that comes with the loss of a loved one, acts of goodness should follow. This year I encourage Muslims to join the vigils and memorial services in his honor.
Another way to remember Pearl is to read the collection of his articles that was recently published under the title "At Home in the World." There are stories about beauty pageants in Georgia, the world's largest Persian rug, and Al Qaeda's exploitation of the gemstone market in Tanzania. These are the writings of someone who clearly felt at home in foreign settings and who was determined to tell Americans about the world beyond our borders.
Yet in the end, the world was not so safe. When Pearl was kidnapped, the international community tried desperately to save him - and failed. So on the sanawiyya of Daniel Pearl's death, the challenge before us is to make sure that intolerance and hatred do not triumph and that we can come together to create a better world - one in which we are all at home.
Zainab Al-Suwaij is the executive director of American Islamic Congress, a nonprofit civil-rights organization dedicated to promoting interfaith tolerance and the exchange of ideas.
|