Captain Humayun Khan’s mother has hit back at Donald Trump for questioning her silence during a speech by her husband at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Ghazala Khan said Republican nominee Donald Trump was ignorant about Islam and that he did not know the meaning of the word sacrifice.
Her husband, Khizr Khan, attacked Donald Trump in an emotional speech to the Democratic convention on July 28.
Donald Trump later suggested Ghazala Khan may not have been allowed to speak.
Captain Humayun Khan was killed by a car bomb in 2004 in Iraq at the age of 27.
In an opinion article for the Washington Post, Ghazala Khan said her husband had asked her if she wanted to speak at the convention but she had been too upset.
Ghazala Khan wrote: “Walking on to 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?”
Photo LA Times
Humayun Khan’s mother added: “Donald Trump said he has made a lot of sacrifices. He doesn’t know what the word sacrifice means.”
On August 1, family members of eleven service-members killed in action wrote to Donald Trump, expressing dismay at his treatment of the family of Humayun Khan, and demanding an apology.
Their letter said: “When you question a mother’s pain, by implying that her religion, not her grief, kept her from addressing an arena of people, you are attacking us. When you say your job building buildings is akin to our sacrifice, you are attacking our sacrifice.
“This goes beyond politics. It is about a sense of decency. That kind decency you mock as <<political correctness>>.”
Pakistani-born Khizr Khan said during his speech at the Democratic convention that his son would not even have been in America if it had been up to Donald Trump, who has called for a ban on Muslims entering the US.
Responding to the criticism, Donald Trump said in an interview with ABC’s This Week: “If you look at his wife, she was standing there.
“She had nothing to say… Maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”
Donald Trump also defended himself from Khizr Khan’s criticism.
“While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr. Khan, who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things,” he said.
Donald Trump’s remarks drew condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans.
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton attacked Donald Trump’s treatment of the Khans during a campaign stop at a church in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Mr. Khan paid the ultimate sacrifice in his family, didn’t he?” she told the African American congregation.
“And what has he heard from Donald Trump? Nothing but insults, degrading comments about Muslims, a total misunderstanding of what made our country great – religious freedom, religious liberty,” Hillary Clinton said.
In statements released in the Republican camp, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan condemned any criticism of Muslim Americans who serve their country.
Mitch McConnell praised Capt. Humayun Khan as an “American hero”.
Both also rejected the idea of a Muslim travel ban, an idea proposed by Donald Trump earlier in the campaign.
Neither statement mentioned Donald Trump by name or criticized him.
However, Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich, a former rival to Donald Trump for the nomination, tweeted: “Shame on him. He has no decency, he has a dark heart.”
Donald Trump has responded to criticism from the father of Captain Humayun Khan, a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq.
In an impassioned speech at this week’s Democratic National Convention, Khizr Khan said Donald Trump had sacrificed “nothing and no-one” for his country.
The Republican nominee said he had made “a lot of sacrifices” by creating jobs.
However, he drew more controversy by mocking Khizr Khan’s wife, who had stood silently by her husband’s side as he spoke.
In an interview with ABC’s This Week, Donald Trump said: “If you look at his wife, she was standing there.
“She had nothing to say… Maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”
Ghazala Khan said on July 29 that she did not speak because she was still overcome with grief and could not look at her son’s photos without crying.
Photo CNBC
Quoted by AP, Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine said Donald Trump’s remarks were inappropriate: “He was kind of trying to turn that into some kind of ridicule.
“It just demonstrates again kind of a temperamental unfitness. If you don’t have any more sense of empathy than that, then I’m not sure you can learn it.”
Donald Trump’s campaign issued a statement on July 30 in which he praised Humayun Khan: “Captain Humayun Khan was a hero to our country and we should honor all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe.
“The real problem here are the radical Islamic terrorists who killed him, and the efforts of these radicals to enter our country to do us further harm.”
Donald Trump rejected Khizr Khan’s criticism.
“While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr. Khan, who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things,” he said.
In the ABC interview to be broadcast on July 31, a transcript of which was released by the Trump campaign, the New York billionaire was asked what sacrifices he had made.
“I work very, very hard. I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures,” Donald Trump said.
“…I’ve had tremendous success. I think I’ve done a lot.”
Khizr Khan, 65, told a rapturous crowd on July 28, the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, that his son had sacrificed his life to save those of his fellow soldiers.
Captain Humayun Khan was killed by a car bomb in 2004 at the age of 27.
If it had been up to Donald Trump, Khizr Khan said, his son would not have been in America.
Khizr Khan asked if Donald Trump had “even read the United States Constitution”, and offered to lend him his copy.
Donald Trump has officially accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the GOP National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
In his speech at the Quicken Loans Arena on July 21, Donald Trump vowed to tackle multiple threats facing the US.
“The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end,” the New York billionaire told the Republican convention.
Donald Trump promised his presidency would usher in a new era putting America and ordinary people first.
His nomination has been clouded by the refusal of major party figures like Senator Ted Cruz to endorse him.
Ted Cruz, who was Donald Trump’s bitter rival during the primary contests, was booed off the stage by Trump supporters.
Photo AP
Other Trump opponents such as members of the Bush family stayed away from the convention altogether.
Donald Trump, who was written off when he launched his campaign a year ago, said he hoped his speech would ease tensions and unite the Republican Party.
Speaking for well over an hour, Donald Trump said the security of the country was under threat from Islamist radicals, undocumented immigrants and trade deals that failed American workers.
“We will lead our country back to safety, prosperity, and peace,” he said.
“We will be a country of generosity and warmth. But we will also be a country of law and order.”
Addressing the “forgotten Americans” who worked hard but no longer had a voice, Donald Trump said: “I am your voice.”
The Republican nominee attacked his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, at every opportunity, blaming the former secretary of state for “death, destruction and weakness”.
In his speech, Donald Trump presented his plan to “put America first”:
Promising to build a “great border wall” to stop illegal immigration, gangs and drugs
Accusing Hillary Clinton of proposing mass amnesty, mass immigration and mass lawlessness
Saying that decades of immigration have produced lower wages for African Americans and Latinos
Accusing President Barack Obama of failing US inner cities on education, jobs and crime
Saying that nearly 180,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records were “roaming free” to threaten citizens
Promising to end trade deals that had “destroyed [America’s] middle class”
Promising that “Americanism, not globalism” would be the tenet of foreign policy
Donald Trump was introduced in glowing terms by his daughter Ivanka, who said her father valued women workers and that he would make quality childcare affordable.
Not long into his speech, the audience began calling for the jailing of Hillary Clinton, chanting “Lock her up!”.
Donald Trump promised to defeat Hillary Clinton in November.
In a departure from Republican orthodoxy, Donald Trump took up the theme of acceptance of gay rights, framing it in terms of American values.
“I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence… of the hateful foreign ideology,” he said to some cheers from the crowd.
“As a Republican it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said,” Donald Trump added.
In a key moment earlier in the night, Silicon Valley mogul Peter Thiel told the convention he was proud to be gay.
The chairman of the Hillary for America campaign, John Podesta, attacked Donald Trump’s speech as divisive.
“Tonight, Donald Trump painted a dark picture of an America in decline,” he said.
“And his answer – more fear, more division, more anger, more hate – was yet another reminder that he is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be president.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz caused a storm on July 20 when he pointedly refused to back the nominee, sparking outrage and boos.
He later defended his decision, saying he would not be a “servile puppy” to someone who had attacked his family.
Donald Trump has previously criticized the appearance of Ted Cruz’s wife, Heidi.
Donald Trump’s nomination has been a source of conflict within the party, with some like Ted Cruz questioning his conservative principles.
Others like former nominee Mitt Romney are concerned about Donald Trump’s strident tone and extreme stance on immigration.
Donald Trump has reached the number of delegates needed to secure Republican presidential nomination.
On May 26, in North Dakota, Donald Trump thanked 15 unbound delegates from the state who he said “got us right over the top”.
Donald Trump defeated 16 other Republican contenders and according to the Associated Press has 1,238 delegates, one more than needed.
Republicans will finalize their nomination at a convention in July.
Photo Getty Images
While Donald Trump has the required amount of delegates, his nomination by a divided GOP is not yet secured.
Unbound delegates in the party are free to support the candidate of their choice.
If his nomination is confirmed, Donald Trump will face former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who are vying for the Democrat nomination.
On May 25, Donald Trump suggested going against Bernie Sanders in a TV debate in California before the state’s primary on June 7.
Bernie Sanders agreed to the debate in a tweet, saying: “Game on.”
On May 26, Donald Trump said: “The problem with debating Bernie? He’s going to lose.”
The New York billionaire also threw a barb in Hillary Clinton’s direction, saying: “Here I am watching Hillary fight and she can’t close the deal. That should be such an easy deal to close.”
Earlier, President Barack Obama said that world leaders “had good reason to be rattled” by Donald Trump, whose proposals he said were “either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude”.
In response to that, Donald Trump told reporters in North Dakota that rattling leaders of other countries was a “good thing”.
“[President Barack Obama] knows nothing about business,” Donald Trump said.
“Many of the countries in our beautiful world have been absolutely abusing us and taking advantage of us.
“We’re going to have great relationships with these countries but if they’re rattled in a friendly way that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”
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