Tag: Muslim-American

Posted on

Paul Ryan Weighs In On Donald Trump Insults To Family Of Fallen U.S. Soldier

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R) issued this statement regarding the current insults by Donald Trump on the family of fallen U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan

“America’s greatness is built on the principles of liberty and preserved by the men and woman who wear the uniform to defend it. As I have siad on numerous occasions, a religious test for entering our country is not reflective of these fundamental values. I reject it. Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice – and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan – should be honored. Period.”

Posted on

Parents Of Fallen Muslim-American Soldier Respond To Donald Trump’s Insults

In the aftermath of the devastating appearance and speech by the parents of a fallen Muslim-American soldier at the Democratic National Convention, Donald Trump went on the attack saying the parents were being “used” by the DNC, that perhaps the father, Khizr Khan, didn’t actually write his speech (that’s rich considering the Melania Trump plagiarism debacle) and that Ghazala Khan wasn’t allowed to speak because Muslim families don’t allow women to speak, or some such nonsense.

Ghazala Khan had this to say about her appearance at the DNC and why she didn’t choose to speak:

Humayun is my middle son, and the others are doing so well, but every day I feel the pain of his loss. It has been 12 years, but you know hearts of pain can never heal as long as we live. Just talking about it is hard for me all the time. Every day, whenever I pray, I have to pray for him, and I cry. The place that emptied will always be empty.

I cannot walk into a room with pictures of Humayun. For all these years, I haven’t been able to clean the closet where his things are — I had to ask my daughter-in-law to do it. Walking onto the convention stage, with a huge picture of my son behind me, I could hardly control myself. What mother could? Donald Trump has children whom he loves. Does he really need to wonder why I did not speak?

Donald Trump said that maybe I wasn’t allowed to say anything. That is not true. My husband asked me if I wanted to speak, but I told him I could not. My religion teaches me that all human beings are equal in God’s eyes. Husband and wife are part of each other; you should love and respect each other so you can take care of the family.

The Khans spoke to Lawrence O’Donnell about the speech, Trump’s reactions and what they think this all means to the country.

Posted on

Trump To Father Of Fallen Muslim-American Soldier: “I’ve Made A Lot Of Sacrifices”

Responding for the first time to the father of a fallen Muslim-American soldier, Donald Trump told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he has “sacrificed” by creating “thousands and thousands of jobs” and having “tremendous success.”

On the last night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Gold Star father Khizr Khan, his wife Ghazala by his side, recounted to the crowd how his son was killed in 2004 by a car bomb in Iraq.

Khan also chastised Trump for seeking to ban Muslims from entering the country, saying that his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, would not have been able to serve under a Trump presidency.

“Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America,” Khan said, addressing Trump. “You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”

Trump appeared to try to brush the speech aside, saying that Khan “was, you know, very emotional and probably looked like a nice guy to me.”

Pressed by Stephanopoulos to name the sacrifices he’d made for his country, Trump said: “I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I’ve had tremendous success. I think I’ve done a lot.”

Just so I’m clear: Donald Trump sees his “tremendous success” as equitable to the service of fallen American soldiers?

Posted on

Father Of Fallen Muslim-American Soldier To Trump: “You Have Sacrificed Nothing. And No One”

Easily one of the most impactful moments of the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention occurred when Khizr Khan, father of fallen U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, took to the stage to admonish Donald Trump for his anti-Muslim views.

Captain Khan was killed in 2004 in the Iraq war when he stepped in front of a car rigged with explosives, saving the men under his command. Khan was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his bravery.

From Variety:

The story reverberated with emotion because Humayun was a devout Muslim, who volunteered to fight in the Middle East because he wanted to defend American democracy. Khizr Khan waved a pocket copy of the Constitution of the United States from the podium, asking if GOP nominee Donald Trump had even read America’s seminal political document. The elder Khan told the crowd that, if Trump had been able to follow through on his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country, people like his son would never have been able to serve America.

The grieving father’s summation was searing: “Mr. Trump, you have sacrificed nothing. And no one.”

As we all know, Donald Trump has called for a complete stop to allowing Muslim immigrants to enter the United States. His policy would have kept this American hero from ever becoming a soldier the Army is so very proud of.

Interestingly, Fox News chose to cut away from convention coverage at the exact moment Khan was making his speech. CNN and MSNBC carried the full address.

Khizr Khan’s full speech below: