Fighting intolerance, conflict and terrorism through dialogue and exchange

UCLA computer science professor Judea Pearl (right) has left math equations behind to defy the terrorists who murdered his son, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, in 2002. "If they try to spread division among people, then we ought to spread friendship," he says. Akbar Ahmed (left), a professor of Islamic Studies, is Pearl's partner and envoy to Muslims in the U.S. and abroad. The two now travel the country to speak at "Daniel Pearl Dialogues for Muslim-Jewish Understanding Featuring Akbar Ahmed and Judea Pearl," linking their life stories to a larger call for reconciliation and providing a rare forum for moderate Muslims in the U.S. to gather. Dialogue is central to all the work of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, which sponsors fellowships for journalists and an Internet news service for high school journalists, advocates press freedom, and organizes world music days to bring people together. One small example of progress: Ahmed will speak at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, the first Muslim to be invited.

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