"Sacrificed nothing"

Father of fallen Muslim-American war hero to Trump: 'You have sacrificed nothing'

By Nolan D. McCaskill

The father of a deceased Muslim American Army captain hailed his son Thursday as a true military hero who gave up his dream to save the lives of his comrades but rebuked Donald Trump as no worthy commander in chief.

He cast the Republican presidential nominee, who has repeatedly called the American military “a disaster,” as a selfish, divisive, immigrant-bashing man who doesn’t even know the law of the land in the country he tries to keep people out of.

Khizr Khan’s son, Humayun Khan, a University of Virginia graduate who was deployed to Iraq, died in 2004 but was posthumously awarded with a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his heroism. In his address to the Democratic National Convention, Khan contrasted two vastly different presidential candidates — one who shares characteristics of his late son and one who is nothing like him.

His son, he said, dreamed of becoming a military lawyer, “but he put those dreams aside the day he sacrificed his life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers.”

As for Trump, he said, “You have sacrificed nothing.”

“Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son the best of America,” he added. “If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America. Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership.”

Khan condemned the Republican presidential nominee’s controversial calls to build a wall on the southern border that Mexico will pay for and ban certain immigrants — be it Muslims or people from so-called “terror states” — from entering the country.

“Donald Trump, you’re asking Americans to trust you with their future. Let me ask you: Have you even read the United States Constitution?” he asked, pulling a copy from his coat pocket as the crowd roared. “I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words — look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law.’”

Khan implored the real estate mogul to visit Arlington Cemetery, to “look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending” this country. “You’ll see all faiths, genders and ethnicities,” he said.

Khan insisted that America can’t solve its problems by “building walls” and “sowing division.”

“We are stronger together,” he said, echoing Clinton’s campaign slogan. “And we will keep getting stronger when Hillary Clinton becomes our president. In conclusion, I ask every patriotic American, all Muslim immigrants and all immigrants, to not take this election lightly. This is a historic election and I request [you] to honor the sacrifice of my son and on Election Day take the time to get out and vote. And vote for the healer, vote for the strongest, most qualified candidate, Hillary Clinton, not the divider.”