The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl

The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl
Airdate	October 10, 2006
Written by	Amit Roy
Directed by	Ahmed A Jamal Ramesh Sharma
Network	HBO
Style	90-minute biographical documentary special
Company	HBO Documentary Films Moving Picture Company First Take
Origin	India UK USA

The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl (2006) is an HBO documentary special about the 2002 kidnapping and execution of American journalist Daniel Pearl at the hands of a group of militant Islamic fundamentalists organized by Omar Sheikh.

Narrator: Christiane Amanpour

Interviewees: Joe Alvarez (Musician), Randall Bennett (Chief of Regional Security, US Consulate, Karachi), John Bussey (Daniel Pearl's Foreign Editor, The Wall Street Journal), Kathy Diskin (FBI, Special Agent), Nick Fielding (Senior Reporter, The Sunday Times, London), Robert Frank (Reporter, The Wall Street Journal), Alex Hannaford (School Friend and Journalist), Aijaz Hashmi (Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kurachi), Khalid Khawaia (Political Analyst, Ex-Pakistan Air Force), Bernard-Henri Lévy (Author, "Who Killed Daniel Pearl?"), Leecent "The Force" (Former Arm Wrestling Champion), Asra Nomani (Friend and Colleague), George Paynter (Omar Sheikh's Teacher, Forest School, London), Judea Pearl (Daniel's Father), Mariane Pearl (Journalist), Michelle Pearl (Sister), Ruth Pearl (Daniel's Mother), Tamara Pearl (Daniel's Elder Sister), Maulana Nizamuddin Shamszai (Head of Bin Nuri Madrassa, Karachi), Paul Steiger (Managing Editor, The Wall Street Journal), Jamil Yusuf (Former Head, Citizen-Police Liaison Committee, Kurachi)

Overview

In 2002, Jewish American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Kurachi, Pakistan by an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organization in a plot which had been masterminded by Omar Sheikh. This documentary traces the lives of both men and the events which surrounded Pearl's kidnapping, the investigation and Pearl's death by beheading at the hands of his captors.

The film begins with the two men's childhoods. Pearl's childhood in Encino, California is described, as well as his interests in music and journalism. Meanwhile, Sheikh is portrayed as a serious child in London with an interest in chess and arm wrestling who seems compelled to control the world around him. As Pearl begins investigating and documenting the events in the Middle East and Asia with his wife, French journalist Mariane Pearl, Sheikh becomes a jihadi inspired by the war in Bosnia and contact with fundamentalist mentors.

Shortly after the attack on the World Trade Center, Pearl was in Pakistan to report on the investigations into the Taliban-Pakistani connections. While trailing a possible source, he met with Sheikh, who under an alias, agreed to help Pearl meet his source. The proposed meeting, however, was a set-up, and Pearl was kidnapped and taken hostage. As photographs of him being held were released, the US government co-ordinated with Pakistani police officials to try to find and rescue Pearl in time.

Their investigations led them to Sheikh, who had been protected by members of Pakistani intelligence. Sheikh confessed to kidnapping Pearl, but by the time he was kidnapped, it was too late. Video footage of Pearl being beheaded had already been shot, and the video was soon released via the Internet. (The documentary does not show the grisly footage, in whole or in part.)

Months after Pearl's beheading, further arrests led to the discovery of Pearl's body. He was returned to his family and given proper burial. The Daniel Pearl Foundation was set up in his memory.

DVD Release

Title	Release Date	#
DVD
The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl (DVD)	February 20, 2007	1