The kidnapping, torture and subsequent execution of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl has some eerie undertones that dwell far beyond most people’s comprehension.
His kidnapping and brutal videotaped slaying show how far terrorists will go to attack Americans. It also reflects the dangers that journalists face when they cover news from an unstable part of the world.
Pearl was doing a job that he loved to do and at which he excelled. He graduated from Stanford University in 1985 and wrote or co-wrote 68 stories for Page One of The Journal. However, in a country where the basic necessities of human survival are uncertain on a daily basis, an American reporter can be an inviting target.
So why was Pearl pursuing such dangerous subject matter in such hostile surroundings? This is what a reporter of his caliber is expected to do for his publication. It’s obvious that Pearl was singled out.
The minute Pearl decided to enter into Pakistan and pursue these contacts, he immediately became a target because he was a Jewish American.
According to the video released by his captors, he was forced to repeat this fact.
Indian and Pakistani journalists knew Pearl. Hamid Mir, a Pakistani reporter, said he advised Pearl three months before his kidnapping to be careful while he was in the region. When Mir saw Pearl, he was in Islamabad covering a pro-Taliban demonstration and did have a Pakistani guide with him. However, during the time of his kidnapping, Pearl was alone.
According to reports, at the time of his abduction, he was on his way to a restaurant in Karachi, Pakistan, to meet with Pir Mubarak Shah Gilani, a religious cleric who may have had information on connections between alleged shoe bomber Richard C. Reid and terrorist organizations affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Reid was arrested in December after he allegedly boarded a Paris-Miami flight with explosives in his shoe.
That is a tough story to research, especially outside of the United States. Pearl was attempting to link Reid with a specific terrorist organization. It was clear that Reid was a terrorist simply because he was trying to blow up a plane, but who he worked for has not yet been determined.
The suspected ringleader in the kidnapping of Pearl is Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the process has begun for the extradition of Sheikh to the United States for prosecution. However, Pakistani law states that Sheikh must be tried in Pakistan before being brought to the states. Sheikh admits to being involved in the kidnapping, but denies he was physically present when Pearl was abducted and later killed.
Sheikh is no stranger to terrorism. In 1999, his followers hijacked an Indian Airlines plane and landed it in Kandahar, Afghanistan, demanding his release from prison. When Pearl was kidnapped, his captors demanded the release of Pakistani prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. It is the policy of the United States not to negotiate with terrorists.
Pearl was not the first journalist killed in Afghanistan.
According to The Associated Press, there have been 37 journalists killed there last year and 24 the year before.
But the terrorists who kidnapped Pearl sought an American trophy. Pearl will not be a trophy for these terrorists. He’s an example of courage for all those who seek the truth, no matter what the consequences.