World must keep its faith in friendship; Without it, 'the shooting continues'

The Spectator - Hamilton, Ont. Author: Sharon Boase Date: Nov 13, 2006

Carrying a laptop and his violin, journalist Daniel Pearl roamed the world, looking to spread understanding and friendship from the Balkans to the Middle East to South Asia.

But one day four years ago in Karachi, Pakistan, Pearl's goodwill failed him. He was murdered by a group of Islamic militants. A videotape taken before he was beheaded had Pearl saying, "My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish and I am Jewish."

"His murderers schemed to sew fear and division among us," Daniel's father, Judea Pearl, told about 800 people gathered at Hamilton Place last night. But his captors -- indeed, all those who would spill blood to make a point -- failed to appreciate the human drive for friendship and understanding. "Friendship is what makes us human and we need to cling to this in this violent, uncertain time," said Akbar Ahmed, Pearl's friend and partner in an ambitious series of interfaith dialogues across the United States, Europe and Canada.

Pearl, a computer scientist at UCLA, and Ahmed, chair of Islamic Studies at Washington University, have visited a dozen cities with the Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding.

When Pearl learned of his son's beheading, at first he wanted revenge, he told The Spectator last week. But he knew the only way forward was through dialogue and understanding.

Lorne Finkelstein, founder of the Committee for Hamilton Arab, Muslim and Jewish Dialogue, worked with fellow committee member Ali Cheaib to bring Pearl and Ahmed to Hamilton.

Moderator for the event was The Spectator's editor-in-chief Dana Robbins, who thanked the crowd for attending. "You believe in building bridges, not digging trenches."

The evening was opened by a choir of Arab, Muslim and Jewish children. The young performers brought the crowd to its feet with a standing ovation.

Ahmed said although dialogue is critical, it alone isn't enough to forge peace. Dialogue must lead to understanding, which must lead to friendship. "With friendship, everything changes," he noted.

"If Israelis and Palestinians met as friends, everything would change. Without friendship between them, the shooting continues."

Credit: The Hamilton Spectator