Khizr Khan Has My Heart

Last updated on: July 30, 2016 at 10:23 pm by Nancy Rockwell

Khizr Khan Has My Heart 2016-07-30T22:23:03-04:00 Nancy Rockwell

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The DNC was a star-studded event. Broadway stars. movie stars, music stars, political stars, retired generals, Mother Emmanuel Church survivors, all came to the podium and all delivered heartening speeches. Some were even moving.

But on the last night, a couple of unknown gold-star parents came out to speak. I had no expectations. A couple in late middle-age, they were neither beautiful nor stunningly well dressed. Mrs. Khan wore a Muslim head scarf, and stood supportively beside her husband, who put his arm around her briefly as he spoke. They both wore glasses, and their faces held an aura of sadness that was arresting, even before he spoke.

They were introduced as parents of a fallen soldier, Humayun Khan, who died in Baghdad in 2004, and saved his entire unit. The father, Khizr Khan, a lawyer in West Virginia, briefly told the story of the immigration to the US with their three little sons, wanting to live in the democracy the US is. To be a lawyer here, and to become a citizen here, both required studying the Constitution. Khan carries a pocket sized copy with him always. He venerates its words.

About his son, Khan told us that Humayun dreamed of becoming a military lawyer, but felt he must interrupt his education to serve in the Iraq war. With courage and caring, he told his men to stay back as he walked toward an abandoned vehicle in an area they were sent to clear. It blew up and killed Khan, but not his men.

The father, and Ghazala, the mother, have had twelve years to wonder and weep about this, and to ask of God and of this country what Humayun’s death means.

For a year now, they have had to listen to Donald Trump disparage immigrants and Moslems, and suggest bans on more Moslem immigration, a freeze on passports and travel by Moslem citizens, and perhaps even detention and special surveillance of Moslems living in this country.

The combination of outrage and anguish poured out of this father, as he told the nation about his beloved son.

And then he spoke to Trump personally, saying*, You have sacrificed nothing and no one.* And then came his most famous line: Have you ever even read the Constitution?

It must be normal among those who study to become citizens, to wonder if the rest of us know anything about our country and its history. But those of us who are not Muslims have not been singled out for disparaging public comment about our faith and our culture.

White Christians, at least the ones I know, think it is silly of President Obama to refuse to say Moslem terrorists. American Moslems must be so grateful to him for that kindness, I think they will shift as a block from the GOP (where more than 90% of their votes were in 2004) to the Dems.

But having to listen to a Presidential nominee ruminate about spying on Moslem citizens, when you are one, when you have been working and paying taxes for decades, and when you have lost a son who was defending America, must be infuriating.

Khizr Khan has given us a vibrant, intelligent, noble, and patriotic model, a beautiful icon, of the American Moslem: devout in love for this country, rooted in love for God, each day mourning their beloved son, and angry as hell at white American bigots who act as if America were for them alone.

I hope we will hear more from Khizr Khan. His is a prophetic and powerful voice, for God, for this nation, and for this election.
__________________________________________________________
Image of Khizr and Ghazalala Khan, at the DNC last week, taken from Everipedia, a free online encyclopedia.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 23, 2016

Making America Rich

Next Post

August 3, 2016 Political Marriages and Jesus’ Wedding Banquet Stories

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bites Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz