From The Tablet, an international Catholic
Newspaper based in London
July 3, 2004
A
very different ‘revenge’
By Emma Klein
The father of an American journalist murdered
by al-Qaida was visited London last week to promote
his campaign for dialogue between Jews and Muslims
“IF YOUNG Pakistanis could look at a picture of Daniel
and say, ‘That's the sort of guy I'd like to be',
that would be the best revenge.” Professor Judea Pearl,
whose son, a Wall Street Journal reporter,
was murdered by al-Qaida activists in Pakistan in
February 2002, has campaigned for tolerance and understanding
ever since. He was in London last week to promote
his dream for dialogue among people of different faiths
– a desire which, given the tragedy that has befallen
his family, moved all those he met.
Daniel, his father reminded us, was constantly striving
to give voice to the concerns and perspective of the
Muslims he had worked among for many years, although
he was clearly proud of his heritage, as testified
by his last words, “I am an American Jew, my father
is Jewish, my mother is Jewish …”
Dr Pearl's motive is, however, a complex one. In
the wake of the tragedy, “revenge” has constantly
been his objective. But “revenge” in his terms is
retaliation against the internecine hatred that led
to Daniel's murder. In partnership with Dr Akbar Ahmed,
a distinguished scholar of contemporary Islam, Dr
Pearl has set up the Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish
Understanding. At encounters in various cities across
the United States, the two men have sought to address
the hatred that often exists between Muslims and Jews
and to raise awareness of the healing nature of dialogue.
They are not afraid of disagreement. Differences,
difficulties and grievances are as integral to the
dialogue as common values and histories. Their backgrounds
– they are both academics in America – can be seen
to exemplify these differences. Dr Ahmed is Pakistani
while Dr Pearl is an Israeli. Rather than seeking
to convince each other of the rightness of their individual
positions, dissent is met with silent respect on either
side.
Indeed it was in the course of his discussions with
Dr Ahmed that Dr Pearl came to understand that his
hope of Daniel becoming an icon or role model for
Pakistani youth was unrealistic. Rather than
a foreign-born Jew, Dr Pearl now attempts to elevate
before Muslim children the example of moderate and
compassionate Islam that numerous leaders throughout
history have stood for. In his eyes, Dr Ahmed is a
prime example.
Daniel Pearl was also a skilled musician and used
his talents and passion for music to form friendships
across cultural divides where words would have proved
inadequate. In this spirit, the Daniel Pearl Music
Day was inaugurated on October 10 2002 as an annual
event in which concerts in Daniel's memory will take
place in countries throughout the world. This year
concerts are scheduled between 8 and 17 October.
Last week's official London opening of the Daniel
Pearl dialogue project took place at the House of
Lords and was followed by a public forum at the School
of Oriental and African Studies. The meeting on Saturday
was organised by John Levy, director of the Academic
Study Group on Israel and the Middle East. In the
course of their visit, Dr Pearl and Dr Ahmed also
addressed pupils at Muslim and Jewish schools. Dr
Pearl was clearly impressed by the ethos of tolerance
and pluralism he encountered at the Islamia school
founded by Yusuf Islam, the former singer Cat Stevens.
Dr Pearl's determination to create something constructive
out of the devastation his family has suffered was
an inspiration to his audience. Various Muslim organisations,
he said, had contributed to his project, as well as
individual Christians. His endeavours are reminiscent
of the actions of families in Northern Ireland who
have made efforts to build bridges across the divide
after losing loved ones to sectarian violence. In
the Middle East, too, an organisation of Israeli and
Palestinian parents of victims of the intifada
has been established with the same goal in mind.
Common to all these undertakings is the acknowledgement
that right and wrong are found on both sides, something
that is frequently lacking in impassioned debates
on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. For this reason,
this seemingly intractable issue has often proved
a stumbling block to Muslim-Jewish dialogue. “It's
time we took a look at ourselves”, a Jewish member
of the audience stated at Saturday's meeting, a sentiment
that resonated with many of his listeners.
A similar inkling may have inspired the Israeli Minister
of Justice, Yosef Lapid, to voice his outspoken condemnation
of the demolition of Palestinian homes in the Rafiah
refugee camp. These actions, he said, were “inhuman,
not Jewish and a blot on Israel's reputation in the
world”. Rabbi David Rosen, a member of the Israeli
group Rabbis for Human Rights and a key negotiator
in the establishment of diplomatic relations between
Israel and the Vatican, has long been unafraid to
assert the moral basis that needs to underpin the
Jewish people's right to their land. Last week, after
a moving religious ceremony, with the biblical Judaean
hills in the background, he expressed his opposition
to Jewish settlements but was optimistic about Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan, which
he saw as a harbinger of a new era.
Dr Pearl's quest lies more in shifting individual
perceptions than in effecting political change. A
moving affirmation of his mission can be found in
the words of the Arab poet Tarek, who has also eulogised
victims of Palestinian suicide bombers:
If they have killed you because you are a Jew
Then I am a Jew from now on ...
Your blood is my blood, your soul is my soul
…
O Daniel ...
Emma Klein is The Tablet 's Jewish Affairs
correspondent.
