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A not-so-small step

Who can forget the horrendous kidnapping and then murder of journalist Daniel Pearl a few years ago now. It again showed terrorism at its very worst.

On the eve of the 5th anniverary of what has now become known as 9/11, it is hard to believe that something like this could come about:

"The father of slain Wall Street journalist Daniel Pearl will share a prize for activism with a Muslim man.

Judea Pearl and Akbar Ahmed are joint recipients of a new $100,000 prize for their campaign against intolerance and terrorism.

The Los Angeles - and Washington - based professors were among five recipients of the newly established Purpose Prize, awarded to Americans age 60 or older who are using their experience and skills to address long-standing social problems.

Pearl, 69, an authority on artificial intelligence at UCLA, became a semi-public figure when his son was kidnapped and brutally murdered by Islamic extremists in Karachi, Pakistan in 2002.

In response to the tragedy, Pearl and his wife Ruth established a foundation in their son’s name to further understanding between East and West through journalism, music and dialogue.

Ahmed, 63, holds the chair in Islamic Studies at American University in Washington. He was born in Karachi and is a former Pakistani ambassador to Great Britain."

Read this article from JTA in the light of all those over-the-top and ignorant statements by George Bush about Islamic fascists, the demonising of Muslims around the world and politicians who still proclaim that they won't talk to those they don't want to, even if they are elected officials. Simply....plain dumb!

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