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Pearl Project

Location:

Great Falls, VA
Type:

Journalism advocacy group
Formation:

2007
Founders:

Asra Nomani and Barbara Feinman Todd

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The Pearl Project is an investigative journalism organization named for Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002. 1 The project was founded by journalist Asra Nomani and Georgetown professor Barbara Feinman Todd, and in 2011, it issued a 31,000-word report prepared by faculty members and students at Georgetown University. The report concluded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, had admitted to killing Pearl. 2

The organization has exposed ties between radical Islamist groups and socialist organizations in the United States. 3 4

Background

The Pearl Project is an investigative journalism initiative named for Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002. 1 The Pearl Project says it conducts original investigative journalism and research about public issues to contribute to sound public policy decisions. The organization also focuses on protecting press freedoms and the legal defense of journalists. 5

Initially founded to expose those involved in Pearl’s kidnapping and murder, the organization’s work since 2023 has included exposing ties between Islamist extremists and U.S. activists regarding the campus protests that erupted after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel. 3 Co-founder Asra Nomani said that radical Islam “has found common ground with radical leftist ideologies, influencing social and political movements in the U.S.” 4

Founders

Barbara Feinman Todd is the founding journalism director at Georgetown University, and taught in the English department. She has written for the Washington Post, Glamour, the Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, and Newsweek. 6 Feinman Todd wrote a memoir, Pretend I’m Not Here, about her career as a researcher for books by journalism legends Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, and Ben Bradlee, as well as ghostwriting for former First Lady and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 7

Asra Nomani is the author of several books, most recently Woke Army. 1 Nomani was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India in 1965, and arrived in the United States in 1969, growing up in Morgantown, West Virginia. She became a Wall Street Journal reporter at age 23. She was portrayed by actress Archie Panjabi in the film A Mighty Heart, about her colleague Daniel Pearl’s death. 8 She wrote an essay, “This is Danny Pearl’s Final Story,” in Washingtonian magazine. 9 She became an opinion writer for the Washington Post, and wrote about her Muslim faith. 8 Nomani also co-founded the Muslim Reform Movement and the Clarity Coalition, both organizations which oppose antisemitism. 3 She also became an editor at the Fairfax County Times in Northern Virginia. 8

The two founders co-authored a book, The Truth Left Behind: Inside the Kidnapping and Murder of Daniel Pearl, that chronicled the lives of those involved. 8 6

History

The Pearl Project began in 2007 as an investigation to discover those involved in Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping and murder. 10 8 The project began as a class at Georgetown University taught by journalist Asra Nomani and the associate dean of the English department and director of journalism Barbara Feinman Todd. Nomani said, “The FBI says this is an open investigation, but in talking to officials, it’s clear there’s no work being done on the ground … the FBI has moved on to other priorities.” 11

Todd said she reached out to Nomani after hearing that she was investigating the death of Pearl. Todd said they formed an unlikely duo of a Jewish woman and Muslim woman to cofound a project at a Jesuit university. 12

In 2009, Todd and Nomani won first place in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Best Practices in Teaching of Information for launching the Pearl Project with 32 graduate and undergraduate students. 13

The initial investigation was sponsored by the Center for Public Integrity’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, with funding from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and a travel grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. The Pearl Project investigated the roles of 27 men linked to the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl. 14

The project worked with Palantir Technologies, a company that has worked for U.S. intelligence and defense agencies. The company provided pro bono analysis software to collect and aggregate data and research gathered by the reporters. It also identified connections among key players in the murder. 10

The Pearl Project released its investigative report into Pearl’s death on January 20, 2011. 15

The 31,000-word report was prepared by faculty members and students at Georgetown University and took three and a half years to complete. The report was based on hundreds of interviews, and also on court records, FBI reports, and Pearl’s e-mails and personal notes. 2

The Pearl Project’s report concluded that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, had admitted during a 2007 military hearing to killing Pearl. 2

The report said that only four of the 27 people identified in Pearl’s kidnapping and murder were charged or convicted for anything, and even those four cases were for other matters. 16

After issuing the lengthy report on Pearl’s murder, the Pearl Project continued to focus on promoting high-quality, ethical investigative journalism, while providing a safe haven for journalists who have experienced censorship and intimidation. 12

Nomani has continued to run the organization, and testified to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about antisemitism in March 2025. 3

References

  1. Nomani, Asra Q. “Woke army retreats in DC protest, pivots to ‘FIGHT BACK’ for Gaza.” Fox News. January 19, 2025. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/asra-nomani-woke-army-retreats-d-c-protest-pivots-fight-back-gaza
  2. Finn, Peter. “Khalid Sheik Mohammed killed U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, report finds.” Washington Post. January 20, 2011. Access March 16, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/20/AR2011012000057.html?hpid=topnews
  3. Rod, Marc. “Witness list for Senate antisemitism hearing draws from wide array of backgrounds.” Jewish Insider. March 3, 2025. March 16, 2025. https://jewishinsider.com/2025/03/witness-list-for-senate-antisemitism-hearing-draws-from-wide-array-of-backgrounds/
  4. Press Release. “Asra Nomani Unveils the Alliance Between Radical Leftists and Islamists.” AHA Foundation. August 29, 2024. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://www.theahafoundation.org/asra-nomani-muslim-reformer/
  5. “The Pearl Project.” United Charitable. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://www.unitedcharitable.org/fsp_daf/the-pearl-project/
  6. “Barbara Feinman Todd.” Harper Collins. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/barbara-feinman-todd
  7. Press Release. “The Ghost Professor: Feinman Todd Releases Memoir.” Georgetown University. March 27, 2017. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://college.georgetown.edu/news-story/the-ghost-professor/
  8. “About.” Asra Q. Nomani. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://asranomani.com/about/
  9.  Nomani, Asra Q. “This Is Danny Pearl’s Final Story.” Washingtonian. January 23, 2014. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://www.washingtonian.com/2014/01/23/this-is-danny-pearls-final-story-2/
  10. Solomon, John. “Pearl Project analyzed network behind crime with software developed for intelligence agencies.” Center for Public Integrity. January 20, 2011. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://publicintegrity.org/accountability/pearl-project-analyzed-network-behind-crime-with-software-developed-for-intelligence-agencies/
  11. Pesta, Abigail. “Project Pearl: The Bravest Class in Town: Will a dogged group of college students in D.C. solve the grisly murder of journalist Danny Pearl before the FBI does?” February 9, 2009. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20090209043450/http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/latest/terrorism-daniel-pearl-fbi
  12. McVeigh, Alex. “Pearl Project Continues Legacy: Journalists speak on future of investigative journalism.” Great Falls Connection. March 27. 2012. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://m.greatfallsconnection.com/news/2012/mar/27/pearl-project-continues-legacy/
  13. Press Release. “Congratulations! “Best Practices in Teaching of Information Gathering Competition.” Georgetown. June 1, 2009. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://scs.georgetown.edu/news-and-events/article?eid=41
  14. “Daniel Pearl Project.” Fund for Investigative Journalism. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://fij.org/daniel-pearl-project/
  15. Press Release. “The Pearl Project Report – Released!” Accessed March 16, 2025. https://english.georgetown.edu/news-story/pearl-project-report-released/
  16. Meyer, Josh. “Pearl Project provides lessons about future of investigative national security journalism.” Naitonal Security Zone. January 28, 2011. Accessed March 16, 2025. https://nationalsecurityzone.medill.northwestern.edu/archives/blog/2011/01/28/pearl-project-provides-lessons-about-future-of-investigative-national-security-journalism/index.html
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Pearl Project


Great Falls, VA