Organized in less than one week, the event unfurled the potential for Muslim American and Palestinian activists to lead antiwar mobilizations.
By Nadia B. Ahmad and Faisal R. Khan | Mondoweiss | May 31, 2021
This unprecedented gathering on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial was a clear sign to President Joe Biden, his administration, and to Israel that public opinion in the United States is shifting, and people of conscience demand a tangible solution for Palestinians who have endured decades of dehumanization, marginalization, and subjugation.
Standing atop the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Nuha Maharoof peered over the crowd at the National March for Palestine on Saturday. To her left, she saw a man on the ledge set off red and green smoke grenades, signifying the colors of the Palestinian flag. She described the cinematic moment “like a scene from a movie, every head in the crowd turned to the sky to watch the colors dissipate.” She pulled out her phone and captured the iconic moment, saying her heart filled with hope for Palestine. The image has since gone viral. She had learned of the protest the day before from social media posts and decided to go with her friends. We tracked her down through a Google image search.
The scene at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC was a sharp contrast to the one six months ago when Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill in an attempted insurrection. Vexed by white supremacy at home and settler colonial foreign policy abroad, Muslim, Palestinian, and progressive groups launched a wide coalition of support in solidarity with Palestine.
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