In this reaction piece in The Outlook magazine, Asra Q. Nomani, Muslim thinker, writer and journalism teacher, takes a look at the transmutation of reality (of her friend Daniel Pearl's murder) by the Hollywood machine:
For me, watching the movie was like having people enter my home, rearrange the furniture and reprogram my memory. I'd known it was a gamble when I agreed to help with a Hollywood version of Danny's kidnapping, but I'd done it because I thought the movie had the potential to be meaningful. I'd hoped it could honor the man I'd worked alongside for nine years at the Journal by explaining why he was so passionate about his work as a reporter. I'd hoped that it would tell the story of the unique team of law enforcement agents, government officials and journalists -- of varying religions, nationalities and cultures -- that had searched for him. And I hoped it could spark a search for the truth behind Danny's death.
But the moviemakers and their PR machine seemed intent on two very different and much shallower goals: creating a mega-star vehicle for Angelina Jolie, who plays Mariane, and promoting the glib and clichéd idea that both Danny and Mariane were "ordinary heroes."
I think Danny would have rolled his eyes at that.
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