Father of slain Muslim Army captain has a challenge for Donald Trump

"Donald Trump ... have you ever read the United States Constitution?"
 By 
Heather Dockray
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

On Thursday night, Donald Trump was busy at a rally defending waterboarding -- but the parents of U.S. Army Captain Humayun S. M. Khan were busy in Philadelphia sharing a different kind of message.

Khan was a U.S. Army captain and a Muslim who was killed in 2004 when a suicide bomber attacked his infantry unit. On the stage of the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, Khan's parents gave a speech that simultaneously honored their son's legacy and delivered a stinging rebuke to Donald Trump.

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


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Trump has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering America. In November, he said he was open to the idea of requiring Muslim Americans to register, causing an uproar even in his own party.

But Khan's strongest moment came when he pulled out a copy of the United States Constitution.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Trump "loves to build walls and ban us from his country," Khan said. "Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with our future. Let me ask you, have you ever read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy."

Judging by the subsequent roar of the convention crowd, in under ten minutes, Khan transformed his grief into one of the most powerful indictments of the convention so far.

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Heather Dockray

Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.

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