DON´T MISS The Journalist and the Jihadi, the Daniel Pearl Story

This weekend, through CNN's SIU, they will be presenting HBO formidable documentary The Journalist and the Jihadi. It's must see tv. Check it out!

This documentary addresses the issue that we talk a lot about: how journalists endanger their lives covering a story and how personal information is used to harm them.

• The jihadists claimed he was a CIA agent
• They used his jewish background for torture and excuse to execution
• Even today, Linda - his widow - and his child, are in danger of violent repercussions.
  

SYNOPSIS

Narrated by acclaimed journalist Christiane Amanpour, THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL was directed and produced by Ahmed A. Jamal and Ramesh Sharma, who gained unprecedented access to many of the key figures in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in early 2002. Anant Singh ("Sarafina!," "Cry, The Beloved Country," HBO's Oscar®- nominated "Yesterday") also produced.

The debut of THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL coincides with events taking place around the globe between Oct. 6 and 15, and organized by the Daniel Pearl Foundation, which battles cultural and religious intolerance through journalism, music and dialogue.

Through the words of Pearl's family, friends and colleagues, as well as FBI agents and State Department employees involved in negotiations for Pearl's release, and those who knew Sheikh best, including former schoolmates and associates, the documentary explores the forces that led to the tragedy.

Interviewees also include noted philosopher and author Bernard-Henri Levy; Pakistani police officials; Khalid Khawaja, a retired squadron leader of the Pakistani air force and a former Pakistan Intelligence Officer, known for his links with extreme religious organizations; and Maulana Shamszai, a noted Islamic scholar and the leading source of inspiration for the Taliban, and head of a madrassa (Islamic religious school) in Pakistan.

Ahmed A. Jamal has received numerous awards for his films, including "Who Will Cast the First Stone?" and "The Beach Boys of Sri Lanka." Through the independent production company First Take Ltd., he has made several groundbreaking documentaries, including "Dead Man Talking," "The Bounty Hunter," "The Dancing Girls of Lahore," "Camel Kids," "Iran - The Other Story" and "The Fundamental Question."

Ramesh Sharma is an award-winning feature film and TV producer-director. His Moving Picture Company India Ltd. is among the leading production houses in India. Sharma's list of credits includes the feature film "New Delhi Times," an award winner at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, as well as numerous acclaimed documentaries, including "Rumtek," "Drikung - A Faith in Exile," "Afghanistan - The Taliban Years and Beyond" and "Jihad - The Sword of Islam."

THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL is an HBO Documentary Films presentation, co-produced by Moving Picture, First Take Ltd. and Distant Horizon. Directed and produced by Ahmed A. Jamal and Ramesh Sharma; producer, Anant Singh; narrated by Christiane Amanpour; written by Amit Roy; edited by Tony Appleton; music by David Heath. For HBO: executive producers, Sheila Nevins and Lisa Heller.

MORE ON THE DOCUMENTARY AND ON DANIEL PEARL

Wounds That Haven't Yet Healed...

KARACHI, PAKISTAN – "Mariane, I'm sorry ... I didn't bring your Danny home."

With these words and tears in his eyes, a Pakistani police investigator told Mariane Pearl that her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, was dead. The lines are from "A Mighty Heart: the Brave Life and Death of My Husband, Daniel Pearl," a harrowing tale of Mr. Pearl's murder by Al Qaeda militants in 2002.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started filming the screen version of "A Mighty Heart" here in July, with Mr. Pitt as coproducer and Ms. Jolie cast as Mrs. Pearl.

The celebrity couple says it hopes their film, to be released in 2007, can heal wounds. But depending on how it handles new information revealed by President Pervez Musharraf, the film may reopen old wounds and reframe perceptions about what happened to Pearl.

Already, the movie is becoming part of the controversy it seeks to depict, some observers say.

Daniel Pearl's murder, although nearly five years old, is hardly solved. The most recent stir erupted in September, when President Musharraf revealed for the first time in his memoir, "In the Line of Fire," that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad (identified by the US 9/11 Commission Report as the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks) either killed Pearl or played a leading role in the planning of his murder. Musharraf says he confessed under Pakistani interrogation. Mr. Mohammad is currently being held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and has never been tried in connection with Pearl's murder.

Prior to Musharraf's book, none of Pearl's murderers have been publicly identified. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh has been convicted and sentenced to death for kidnapping with the intent to murder Pearl. But he has always insisted he was not present at Pearl's killing.

Lawyers here say that Musharraf's revelation - suggested by Pakistani sources but never before confirmed - casts doubt on who killed Pearl and what role Mr. Sheikh might have played beyond the kidnapping.

"I'm going to submit an application that [Musharraf's] book be used as a piece of evidence. The head of state has exonerated them," says Rai Bashir, a Lahore-based lawyer who represents Sheikh and two of his accomplices.

Was Sheikh a convenient scapegoat or deeply involved? How the movie treats this new development in the case could shape public perceptions and the outcome of his appeal.

Musharraf raises other intriguing questions by suggesting that Sheikh was recruited by MI-6, the British intelligence agency, while he was attending college in Britain. Some Western journalists who have investigated the case have said Sheikh was a member both of Al Qaeda and of Pakistan's intelligence wing.

The filmmakers wouldn't comment on the storyline. A statement released by Jolie says, "This is not a film about terrorism or conflict, it is a story of people of all faiths working together to find the truth."

This summer, the moviemakers suffered a setback when the Pakistani federal government shut down preliminary filming in Karachi, citing a lack of permission. Representatives of Paramount Vantage, which is distributing the film, insist they obtained proper documentation to shoot the film.

Publicists for the film won't comment on this, but some analysts here speculate the Pakistani government stopped filming because it wants to keep the Pearl episode, which brought international infamy to Pakistan, out of the limelight.

"The temptation would be there to stop something which puts Pakistan in a bad light," says Ayesha Siddiqa, an independent analyst in Islamabad.

Displaying the same determination as Pearl's wife, and Pearl himself, the film hardly skipped a beat, however, and changed locations to Pune, India.

But moving the shoot to India hasn't stopped the controversy here.

Pearl's kidnappers, including Sheikh, are now in jail. Their lawyers say the film, once released, could severely damage an appeal they have pending.

"[The movie] will prejudice the minds of the judge and jury. This amounts to interfering with the process of the law," says Abdul Waheed Katpar, a lawyer in Karachi who represented Sheikh throughout his trial.

Even some of those who played a central role in hunting for Pearl are not without their misgivings.

Mir Zubair Mahmood, the Karachi policeman who headed the Pearl investigation, is known as "Captain" in "The Mighty Heart." He risked his life and reputation.

On the one hand, the current attention makes Mr. Mahmood proud. But five years later, he still has concerns about how the film will be received here. "I did something good and have recognition for that. But it brings a threat to me; it compromises my security," he says. "There are so many who don't like me, who think I'm a traitor - because I arrested one of their good friends."

But in the spirit of the film, Mahmood says he won't be swayed by fear. Instead, he hopes that in highlighting the efforts of his investigative team, the film can create a positive impression of Pakistan. "The movie will bring a good name to my country in a way."

Jameel Yusuf, a Karachi businessman who also played a central role in the investigation, says police received death threats from Al Qaeda linked terrorists long after Pearl was killed. "We gave our moral support to Mariane. I hope they show that part," he says.

The Journalist and The Jijadi

Journalism is a serious matter. Good
journalism is essential and dangerous. Tonight HBO airs the documentary The Journalist and the Jihadi, the murder of Daniel Pearl.

As you might have read in our previos posts, 35 journalist have been killed to date. The numbers are increasing with the conflicts. And the search for truth is in some cases are death sentences. We hope you might tune in. There are a lot more things about journalists than their ties or sexual preferences. They risk their life for the information. So please don't trivialize their lives nor their sacrifices.

Synopsis

Narrated by acclaimed journalist Christiane Amanpour, THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL was directed and produced by Ahmed A. Jamal and Ramesh Sharma, who gained unprecedented access to many of the key figures in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in early 2002. Anant Singh ("Sarafina!," "Cry, The Beloved Country," HBO's Oscar®- nominated "Yesterday") also produced. The debut of THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL coincides with events taking place around the globe between Oct. 6 and 15, and organized by the Daniel Pearl Foundation, which battles cultural and religious intolerance through journalism, music and dialogue. Through the words of Pearl's family, friends and colleagues, as well as FBI agents and State Department employees involved in negotiations for Pearl's release, and those who knew Sheikh best, including former schoolmates and associates, the documentary explores the forces that led to the tragedy. Interviewees also include noted philosopher and author Bernard-Henri Levy; Pakistani police officials; Khalid Khawaja, a retired squadron leader of the Pakistani air force and a former Pakistan Intelligence Officer, known for his links with extreme religious organizations; and Maulana Shamszai, a noted Islamic scholar and the leading source of inspiration for the Taliban, and head of a madrassa (Islamic religious school) in Pakistan. Ahmed A. Jamal has received numerous awards for his films, including "Who Will Cast the First Stone?" and "The Beach Boys of Sri Lanka." Through the independent production company First Take Ltd., he has made several groundbreaking documentaries, including "Dead Man Talking," "The Bounty Hunter," "The Dancing Girls of Lahore," "Camel Kids," "Iran - The Other Story" and "The Fundamental Question." Ramesh Sharma is an award-winning feature film and TV producer-director. His Moving Picture Company India Ltd. is among the leading production houses in India. Sharma's list of credits includes the feature film "New Delhi Times," an award winner at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, as well as numerous acclaimed documentaries, including "Rumtek," "Drikung - A Faith in Exile," "Afghanistan - The Taliban Years and Beyond" and "Jihad - The Sword of Islam." THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL is an HBO Documentary Films presentation, co-produced by Moving Picture, First Take Ltd. and Distant Horizon. Directed and produced by Ahmed A. Jamal and Ramesh Sharma; producer, Anant Singh; narrated by Christiane Amanpour; written by Amit Roy; edited by Tony Appleton; music by David Heath. For HBO: executive producers, Sheila Nevins and Lisa Heller.

http://www.danielpearl.org/