Martin Luther King Jr.

Yesterday, Americans and many people around the world reflected upon the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by a sniper, which occurred fifty years ago in Memphis, Tennessee (USA).  Rev. Michael Jackson was with Dr. King on the balcony when he was shot. Jackson was one of the speakers at Dr. King’s memorial, stating that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is alive. Of course, this is true; the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lives on. Dr. King was a Baptist pastor and activist who became the leading spokesperson for the American civil rights movement between 1954 and 1968. During this period racism was still deeply institutionalized in the USA. Dr. King’s activism was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent protest and civil disobedience. In 1963, he led the famous March on Washington where he delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. In this speech, Dr. King described his dream of a world in which people would not be judged based on the color of their skin, but by the contents of their character. Dr. King’s activism had a huge impact on the USA and the global civil-rights movement at large. The societal changes initiated by Dr. King’s movement made it possible for Barack Obama to become the first African-American president of the USA.

Last Sunday, Western Christians celebrated Easter while the Coptic Orthodox celebrated Palm Sunday. This means that the Orthodox are now observing the Holy Week leading up to Easter this Sunday. We are of course congratulating both Western and Eastern Christians with this most important feast in Christianity.

It is deeply regrettable that Western and Eastern churches do not have one calendar for Easter. My own dream is that one day, Christians worldwide will have one unified liturgical calendar.

Easter is the feast of the Resurrection. Jesus lives on and continues to impact the world.

Wishing our Christian readers a blessed Easter,

April 5, 2018

Kees Hulsman,

Editor-in-chief Arab-West Report