International

Parallel Lives: HBO's 'The Journalist and the Jihadi'

By Jacki Lyden

Published October 7, 2006 at 10:39 AM PDT

This story was published more than 18 years ago.

Daniel Pearl was kidnapped on January 23, 2002 in the Pakistani city of Karachi. The HBO documentary draws parallels between Pearl and and the man behind his murder, Omar Sheikh.

Daniel Pearl's 43rd birthday would have been October 10, 2006. HBO will mark the anniversary by airing the documentary, The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl.

The film draws a parallel between the lives of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and Omar Sheikh, the man responsible for his brutal murder.

According to the filmmakers, both men had unique ideas about the world. Pearl believed his work as a reporter promoted cultural tolerance. Omar Sheikh, on the other hand, turned to violence in support of his beliefs.

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For filmmakers, Ramesh Sharma and Ahmed Jamal, it was the "dramatic intersection" of the lives of both men that led them to make the documentary. The film, narrated by CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour, is scheduled to debut at 10 p.m. this Tuesday.