War in Gaza, election factor into some of the many events planned for MLK holiday

As communities nationwide prepare this weekend to celebrate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with events ranging from parades to prayer services, some will take a cue from the slain civil rights icon’s history of protest to demonstrate against the war in Gaza and draw attention to a looming U.S. presidential election.

The Monday holiday also marks 100 days since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and resulted in about 240 taken hostage. Since then, more than 100 Israelis remain kidnapped and more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, as global health organizations have warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis there.

Perhaps the most massive organized event of the weekend in the U.S. will be held in the nation’s capital on Saturday — the March on Washington for Gaza, co-hosted by the American Muslim Task Force on Palestine, comprising of some of the largest Muslim organizations in the U.S., along with antiwar and racial justice groups. The march is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EST.

March organizers are calling on President Joe Biden to demand a permanent cease-fire and an end to the violence against civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. They are also calling for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners and for an end to “American unconditional financial support for the Israeli military,” according to Edward Ahmed Mitchell, AMTP media coordinator and deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

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