At the Democratic National Convention, Mr Khizr Khan not only paid tribute to his slain son but also gave a voice to Muslim Americans across the country that are rightfully outraged by the anti-Muslim pronouncements of the Republican nominee for president, Donald J. Trump. Captain Khan was a 27-year-old who died after he told his men to take cover and then tried to stop a suicide bomber outside the gates of his base in Baquba, Iraq. On Thursday night, speaking about his son “Let me ask you: Have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy,” Mr. Khan said, addressing Mr. Trump directly, said, “You have sacrificed nothing and no one.” This speech is a reminder that there is no set definition of what it means to be an American, indeed people from all cultures and religions that have sacrificed something for their country should be used as its ideal citizens. Muslims are on that list in the US as well.
His speech moved countless American Muslims who, sadly after decades of living and contributing to the country they call home, still have to prove they are ‘good Americans.’ Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has proposed banning immigrants from Muslim-majority countries. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested that Muslims who believe in Shariah should be deported. And former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Muslims on the federal government’s terrorism watch list should be forced to wear electronic bracelets to monitor their whereabouts. In the cacophony, Khizr Khan’s voice was the only dignified Muslim voice that America needed. There can be no denying that historically, the US has been a sort of melting pot for people from all backgrounds to come and live together. The divisive Republican campaign with Trump at the head is destroying everything that actually makes America “great”.
But it’s not like the Democrats are any wiser as on Wednesday night, former President Bill Clinton said Muslims who “hate terror and love freedom” should “stay here”. There is clearly a distinction being drawn between good Americans and bad ones, and the Democrats are not making things any better by identifying between Muslims that are supposedly good or bad. Mr Khan addressed the discriminatory message Trump has issued to describe Muslims and the unconstitutional religious test he has offered to bar Muslim immigrants from entering this country, in the best way possible. Khizr Khan embodied heroism, patriotism, and sacrifice; simply, he put Donald Trump to shame.