Pakistani American Khizr Khan made several appearances alongside Democratic leaders in Virginia in a push for Muslims to get out and use their right to vote.
“The Muslim community is committed to standing up for their rights, their religious freedom and support for Hillary Clinton,” he said at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society.
Khan, the Gold Star father of American slain soldier Humayun Khan, catapulted to national limelight with a speech at Democratic Convention this summer as he challenged Republican Donald Trump’s views about Muslims.
He told reporters after speaking to worshippers at the mosque that “this election is pivotal for Muslim Americans.”
Accompanied by Senator Mark Warner (D), Congressman Don Beyer (D), Attorney General Mark Herring (D), Del. Jennifer Boysko (D-86th), Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel and Democratic congressional candidate LuAnn Bennett, Khan also spoke at Northern Virginia Community College.
“They (American Muslims) will make the real difference. They have a commitment to vindicate their faith.”
When Khan challenged Trump with in the landmark moment of the campaign if the businessman had ever read the US Constitution, he also had to face counterattacks from the Republican candidate.
Trump’s criticism of the Gold Star parents, in turn, incurred him more criticism as top Republicans also spoke out against targeting parents of a Muslim soldier who laid down his life for safety of fellow American soldiers in Iraq.
Since his appearance at the DNC, Khan has been openly supporting Clinton, and questioning Trump’s plan to bar Muslims from entering the United States.
Khan, a Harvard-educated lawyer, also appeared in a recent Hillary campaign ad, question the Republican candidate what place his son, who paid the ultimate sacrifice, had in America.
During his comments to the media, Khan Friday defended Hillary Clinton on the issue of private emails and said she stands for rights of American Muslims. Khan sounded upbeat about Clinton’s prospects in next Tuesday’s vote and asked American Muslims and Pakistani Americans to use their powerful right to vote to make their voice heard in the November 8 election.
