“My name is Daniel Pearl. I am a Jewish-American from Encino, California.”
In his last moments, Daniel Pearl could not escape the horror he had spent the better part of his journalistic career spotlighting.
Following those forced final words, Pearl would be slain by his captors, a group of Islamic militants inside Pakistan. And so another chapter of the Arab-Jewish divide had been written.
But his voice would not be silenced.
Spurred by the media attention surrounding his death, Pearl’s family would quickly found the Daniel Pearl Foundation in an effort to continue his work of fostering constructive dialogue between Jews and Muslims.
Part of that effort includes a lecture tour, featuring a dialogue between his father, Judea Pearl, and Islamic scholar Akbar Ahmed.
The presentation will come to USM on Monday, April 7.
The event will be a moderated dialogue with questions from the audience in an effort to create a frank and respectful discourse about a very fiery topic.
“It is one of the flash-points of our 21st century,” says Abraham Peck, Director of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Studies at USM.
Peck believes students needs to be engaged with issues such as this, if only for the simple reality that Americans are no longer immune to the bloodshed that has consumed so much of the world.
Peck is also confident that students will attend, citing crowds of close to 1,000 at two previous programs covering genocide and human rights, including a visit from Paul Rusesabagina, the subject of “Hotel Rwanda.”
The event is expected to be so well attended that the University has set up additional rooms in the Abromson center where it will be simulcast to anybody who can’t find a seat at Hannaford Hall.
Although attendance has been relatively small at two similar events this year- including a debate between an Israeli Army veteran and an Israeli citizen speaking out against settlements, the well recognized names of Pearl and Ahmed are expected to be a major draw.
Organizers anticipate that many who have followed the Iraq war or other Middle East peace issues may still be familiar with the Pearl incident.
Judea Pearl boasts credentials as a professor at UCLA and the author of three award-winning books. Ahmed, considered a leading expert on Islam, is currently a professor at American University and 2004 recipient of the Gandhi Center Fellowship Peace award.
The event will take place Monday the 7th from 7-9 p.m. in Hannaford Hall. There will be rooms at the Abromson center providing a simulcast of the dialogue.