During the past week, I watched the movie ‘A Mighty Heart’, a true story about the life and very untimely death of Daniel Pearl.  

Daniel Pearl was born in Princeton, New Jersey and attended Stanford University where he received honors in a communications major, graduating with a B.A. in Communications.   Daniel started out his journalistic career at the Wall Street Journal’s Atlanta bureau in 1990, then moved to the Washington D.C. bureau in 1993 and then the London bureau in 1996.  He wrote varied articles about music and politics, his most notable in which he discovered that charges of genocide committed in Kosovo were unsubstantiated.   Daniel did what he loved and this opened many doors of opportunity for him.  He also had a passion for music and believed that music was instrumental in bridging differences between various cultures. 

In January 2002, Daniel travelled to Karachi, Pakistan with his pregnant wife, Mariane as part of an investigation of links between Richard Reid (a British citizen charged with eight criminal counts related to acts of terrorism) and Al-Qaeda.  Daniel arranged an interview with a supposed connection to Richard Reid and was kidnapped.  Nine days later, when the demands of the kidnappers were not met, Daniel was tortured and beheaded. 

To say I was shocked by Daniels story is an understatement.  I felt for Daniels family and in particular his unborn son, who was born three months later, never having an opportunity to get to know his father. 

In an effort to ensure Danny did not die in vain, his family and friends have set about raising awareness of cultural understanding and acceptance. In the spirit of Danny’s love for music, the Daniel Pearl Foundation was formed by Daniel’s family and friends.  The first Daniel Pearl World Music Days was held on 10th October 2002, which would have been Danny’s 39th birthday.  The Daniel Pearl World Music Days has now grown to include more than 4,900 performances in 101 countries around the world.   The Daniel Pearl Foundation has now introduced a radio station and a permanent online gallery which features music, poetry, art, articles and dedications reflecting Danny’s lifetime of work connecting people through words and music.

The reason why this story struck me as one worth telling was because Daniels choice of career did not immediately spell danger, in ways many other career paths typically would.  However, now that I have probed further I have since discovered that journalists are frequently placed in grave danger when they travel to remote and distant countries, to bring us the latest breaking news and headline stories.

Having said that, career choices and achievements can be recognised not for what was achieved during life, but what was achieved after death.  In many ways Daniels death has resulted in a great deal of change and a balanced understanding of various cultural beliefs throughout the world, perhaps more so because the message has been launched from his tragic death.  

In summary, let’s not forget the many individuals who take on professions where danger is imminent, sacrificing their own lives, so we can live ours in safety, peace and with truth.

You can pay tribute to Daniel today by visiting:   www.danielpearl.org