One of the most impressive and devastating speakers against a Donald Trump presidency during the Democratic Convention on Philadelphia was Khizr Khan, with his wife standing next to him while he discussed the valor of his slain son U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in 2004 in the Iraq war.
Donald Trump was offended when Khizr said Trump "smears the character of Muslims" and pulled out the American Constitution on stage, asking Trump if he wanted to borrow his.
In typical Trump fashion, he smeared the couple and took aim at his wife, Ghazala, for not addressing the audience.
He cowardly told ABC News, "His wife-- if you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably-- maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me. But plenty of people have written that. She-- she was extremely quiet. And it looked like she had nothing to say. A lot of people have said that."
It turns out Ghazala Khan had plenty to say to the Washington Post.
In a heartbreaking op-ed she penned for today, Ghazala spoke at length about the pain she feels and the disgust she has for Trump.
Donald Trump has asked why I did not speak at the Democratic convention. He said he would like to hear from me. Here is my answer to Donald Trump: Because without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain. I am a Gold Star mother. Whoever saw me felt me in their heart.
She continued.
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.
When Donald Trump is talking about Islam, he is ignorant. If he studied the real Islam and Koran, all the ideas he gets from terrorists would change, because terrorism is a different religion.
Donald Trump said he has made a lot of sacrifices. He doesn’t know what the word sacrifice means.
Her husband, Khzir Khan, agrees.
Any other presidential candidate would have been mercilessly ridiculed by every member of his party for attacking a family that lost so much for our country like that. And it would have cost him/her any chance at all to win.
Thank you, Ghazala Khan. I hope your pain will be eased some day and your son's sacrifice for this country will never be forgotten.
