Father of Beheaded Reporter, Daniel Pearl, Says Moral Relativism Died With His Son
Courageous Jewish father explains how "tolerant" pride breeds intolerance.
(Encino, CA)—The following article was written by Judea Pearl, father of slain reporter Daniel Pearl, and president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation. He is also the co-editor of I am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl.
Though I haven't seen the film A Mighty Heart, which depicts the life of Daniel, I was touched by the courage and insight of his father for writing so honestly about himself and his convictions. Primarily, Judea pleads with viewers to see through the politicization of the film. He emphasizes that while he appreciates the attention brought to his son by the new film, there are glaring errors that are simply not true and could easily deceive viewers into false assumptions.
He starts by saying: "I used to believe that the world [was] essentially divided into two types of people: those who were broadly tolerant, and those who felt threatened by differences. If only the former ruled the earth, I reasoned, the world might know some measure of peace. But there was a problem with my theory..." (Photo by: Ethan Hill for Newsweek)
Adds Mr. Pearl: "The stronger you insist on the necessity of tolerance, the more intolerant you become toward those who disagree. The moral lesson is that there is no such thing as unqualified tolerance; ultimately, one must be able to expound intolerance of certain ideologies without surrendering the moral high ground normally linked to tolerance."
"Moral relativism died with Daniel Pearl, in Karachi, on January 31, 2002," he concludes. Read more, at the link provided.
