The father of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl said that he hopes that people will be inspired by a new movie about his son to work towards cross-cultural understanding.
Judea Pearl is in Toronto to receive an honorary degree on the same day "A Mighty Heart," a movie about the abduction and murder of his son Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is being released.
"I actually do not want the viewers to relive our pain," Pearl said. "I would like the viewers to be inspired and curious to find out more about Danny's life and work and join us in our effort to eradicate the hatred that took Danny's life. This is our mission in life and this is what we founded the foundation for."
Judea Pearl is the co-founder of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization that promotes intercultural respect, dialogue and understanding between Jews and Muslims, that was created after his son's death. Pearl said that creating the foundation rather than harbouring hatred or revenge about his son's death was a natural reaction for him and his wife Ruth.
"We are soldiers. Both me and my wife are engineers. We think in terms of results and we have very clear results in mind," Pearl said. "We would like to empower moderates to marginalize extremists, so that we'll minimize and marginalize the ideology that created the hate that took Danny's life."
Daniel Pearl was beheaded after being abducted in Karachi, Pakistan in January 2002 while investigating an article on terrorist links to Richard Reid, a British citizen who tried to blow up an American jetliner in December 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes.
While four men were convicted of the crime in July 2002, new accomplices in the crime continue to surface. Earlier this month police in Pakistan arrested two men in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Pearl.
'A Mighty Heart' focuses on the five-week search for Daniel Pearl after his abduction. The film is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Angelina Jolie playing Daniel Pearl's pregnant wife Mariane. The film is based on Mariane Pearl's book of the same name.
"As you can imagine for us, this is not a movie, this is a re-enacting of very painful days in our lives. I should really say the most painful days of our lives. And whatever reaction I give you, will not be typical of what you would get from a typical viewer," Pearl said.
Pearl will be receiving an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Toronto on Friday at the convocation for the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.
A Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Cognitive Systems Labaratory at the University of California, Los Angeles, Pearl is widely respected in academic circles for his work and impact in the fields of statistics, medical science social science and the philosophy of science.
"It was really a great honour for me to be awarded the doctorate degree and I have a soft spot for the University of Toronto," Pearl said. "They've been the first to listen to me in my new work on causality and I have many colleagues here and so it was really a warm honour. A combination of warmth and honour."
