Judea Pearl's misguided 'faith' in liberalism and Islamists
Reader comment on item: Muhammad Ali's "Beautiful Soul"

Submitted by Ben van de Polder (United States), Dec 2, 2005 at 01:05

Dr. Pipes rightfully pointed out that Judea Pearl's appreciation of Ali's press release on behalf of Danny Pearl did not mitigate Ali's antisemitism,anti-americanism,and anti-white racism. On the contrary, Ali's (handlers) statement was a self serving attempt to counteract the bad press Islam was getting. In the press release which was touted as a plea for Pearl, Ali (ie his handlers) wrote that:

"Muslims must lead by example just as the prophet Mohammed had 1400 years ago. Daniel is a professional journalist. His job is to give a voice to those who wish to be heard by the world community."

In other words, it was not about Daniel Pearl, but about damage control and Islam.

As for Judea Pearl, his liberalism has pushed him into unfortunate alliances with people like Akhbar Ahmed, with whom he goes around the world lip synching a highbrow version of "kumbaya" to gullible audiences. Ahmed for his part, was a highranking official in the Pakistani government, and was also in charge of the region of Waziristan, the terrorist headquarters of Al Qaeda. An excerpt from the biography of Akhbar Ahmed for the Du Plains Speakers bureau informs us that:

"…Dr. Ahmed joined the Civil Service of Pakistan, the elite cadre of the Central Superior Services of Pakistan, in 1966. He held important posts in Pakistan and Bangladesh—including Commissioner, Quetta; Political Agent, South Waziristan Agency; Founder-Director General of the National Center for Rural Development, Islamabad. He resigned from service in the summer of 2000. Parallel to his civil service career, Dr. Ahmed was visiting professor at Harvard University, Cambridge University, and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton…. He is also the recipient of the 2002 "Free Speech Award" given by the Muslim Public Affairs Council.."

According to an article in the Jewish week:

"Pearl still can't quite let go of the universalism. He asked that liberal Muslims be invited to the yahrtzeit service at BJ. He says his son is 'exactly what the Jewish community needs. Instead of the image of a war monger, we need the image of a peace champion'."
http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=7524&print=yes

In the Lebanese Daily Star, Pearl addressed a letter to Muslims, comparing his the killing of his son and that of Nicholas Berg. (In 2005, a message from Berg's father was read a the same A.N.S.W.E.R. rally where the convicted Al Qaeda operative Abu Ali's father spoke on behalf of his son). In the letter to Muslims, Pearl portrayed Abu Ghraib as a 'lesson' for America and his slain son as an advocate and spokesman for Muslims worldwide.

"The American public has reacted to the Abu Ghraib atrocities with outrage, seriousness and resoluteness. I am proud of this reaction because I know that self-criticism is a prerequisite to progress and self-improvement. My grandchildren will live in a better society because of this outrage... I hope you accept the sincerity of my appeal by virtue of the respect that my son held for your faith, his unshaken belief in humanity and, in particular, by virtue of the faithful way he amplified the voices of your brothers and sisters from Iran to Yemen, from Sudan to Pakistan." http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=4323

In short: Judea Pearl has forged a misguided alliance with Islamists and his liberal agenda makes it impossible for him to see the truth. In the Daily Star article Judea Pearl writes: "As a devout disciple of my son, I feel an obligation to communicate this appeal to you: Let us make those inhumane killings a thing of the past."

Daniel Pearl made the fatal mistake of thinking that empathy with Muslims, and trying to understand their worldview would serve as a talisman against their hatred. That this was a also a fatal miscalculation can be seen in the fact that: "The mastermind of the Pearl kidnapping was British born and educated Omar Saeed who, went to private schools, and was considered a brilliant student ... Ironically after Daniel Pearl's murder, his father, Judea Pearl, was given an honorary degree by LSE." http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/531

It appears that Judea Pearl is continuing his son's denial of Muslim anti semitism, by desperately trying to reach out and interact with them. Worse still, the Muslims with whom he has engaged in interfaith, such as Akhbar Ahmed and Muqtedar Khan, are Islamists posing as moderates who share the same views of Jews and Americans as his son's killers.

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