Remembering Daniel Pearl
The current flap over the ilegally attained photos of Saddam Hussein caused me to recall the photos of Daniel Pearl, Nick Berg and others taken hostage and killed by terrorists. I did a Google search and came up with this page of images. There are pictures of Mr. Pearl and Mr. Berg (and others) both as hostages and dead.
Today there is a concern about photos of a prisoner whose dictatorial rule was brutal, and all I can think of are the gruesome photos of the slain innocents. I considered posting about the comparison between the two types of photos; and considered presenting the photo of Pearl in death, opposite a square containing the words, "Any photo of Saddam in captivity". (I did not want to provide another forum for a Saddam picture which should never have been shown.) But there is no point there. The photos of Saddam should have never been public, and I hope they catch and punish those who made it happen. And, I quickly learned that I could not stomach the pictures of Mr. Pearl. That one photo made me think of the other fooled me into examining if there was a nexus worth mentioning.
But, alas, after a few tries, the subject was boring me and I decided to let it go. Then, as I was ready to close the Google page, I noticed an advertisement on the right side of the page:
Daniel pearl
Deals on Daniel pearl shoes
Compare prices and save now!
Zollop.com
Talk about shock and awe! What cruel joke is this, I thought? Are they actually selling Mr. Pearl's shoes? Tribute shoes? This can not be?
And it isn't. There is a shoe designer with the given name Daniel who sells a shoe he calls Pearl! Obviously this man is oblivious to the real world. What an insensitive product name, what an unfortunate ad placement. Perhaps this shoe salesman should use his last name, Green, instead of Daniel, and accept the confusion of Green pearl shoes, over that of Daniel pearl shoes.
Moving on.
Just above that ill-named/placed ad was a link to an interview with Mr. Pearl's widow, Marianne. Now, three years after he was confirmed dead, it is good to hear her optimism, and to read these words she spoke in 2004.
They want to destroy hope, therefore I shall preserve it by any possible means.They want to kill trust. Thus I will reach out to others, Africans, Asians, Arabs, Americans and Jews alike.
They want to imprison people in labels and stereotypes. I will strive to maintain a dialogue, always focusing on the individuals rather than the symbol.
They want to kill joy in me, thus I will laugh again.
They want to paralyze me, therefore I will take action. They want to silence me--therefore I will speak out.
From a speech given by Mariane Pearl in Sydney, Australia in March 2004.
And this from the interview:
I know that at no point Danny begged, and I know that through, for instance, the photographs of him. In one there is a gun pointed at him and he has a smile on his face--how much stronger can you be than that? In another one he had shackles, but he's doing V for victory, and in the other he gives the finger. Every way possible he communicates his spirit. I think that's what I call a mighty heart, someone who holds onto their belief until the end.
A brave man needlessly lost.
