College students assigned to solve Daniel Pearl case

The tragic murder of journalist Daniel Pearl occurred in 2002 but his killer was never captured. But a group of journalism students at Georgetown University are undertaking a task the FBI has ignored: solving the case of the beheaded journalist, tracking down Pearl's possible killers, and making long-distance phone calls to Pakistan in order to interview suspects and leads. Journalist and activist Asra Nomani said she wants to finish the work the FBI started, telling Marie Claire: "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. You can argue over whether it's right or wrong, but the FBI has moved on to other priorities." The Pearl Project, as this assignment is being called, bands together 20 students who track down the clues and contacts scattered across the Web. They make phone calls to families and lawyers associated with the case. The students' parents are worried the grisly nature of Pearl's murder could be detrimental to the kids. But the students are determined to plough through their difficult work load in order to be leaders in investigative journalism.