[Vision2020] NPR Interview with Khzr Khan 8/5/16

[Nicholas Gier]

I teared up listening to this and reading Mrs. Khan column

Khizr Khan, the Muslim-American lawyer thrust into the spotlight this week
after speaking at the Democratic National Convention about his soldier son
and criticizing Donald Trump, says he has no regrets about the speech or
the attention that followed.

"I will do it [a] million times, I will do it louder, I will do it
forcefully," Khan told Kelly McEvers, host of NPR's *All Things Considered*.
"I'll do it [a] hundred million times — now is the time for the rest of the
world to see the true America, the decent America, the good America."



Khan's son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004. During Khan's
convention speech, he painted Trump's policies toward immigration as
un-American and held up a pocket Constitution challenging Republican
nominee Trump to read it.

Trump and his allies hit back at the Khan family — the candidate said
Khan's wife, Ghazala, stood next to him silently because "maybe she wasn't
allowed to have anything to say, you tell me." Trump's comments were then
condemned by political leaders on both sides of the aisle including
Republican veteran Sen. John McCain. The Khans consistently did interviews
on television and radio stations.

But Khizr Khan says that although the family has received hate mail and
threats, the overwhelming support from strangers — from cabdrivers to
teenage college students — is what has stayed with him.

Strangers have also flocked to their son's gravesite at Arlington National
Cemetery.

"I was there and I was just amazed," Khan said. "There were so many flowers
and so many people. ... It is an honor."

The Khans said they have also visited since the convention speech. Khan
said that when he went, "I did what I do all the time. I stand their
quietly and I close my eyes, and I talk to my creator."

Khan said that while his family's grief over the loss of their son has been
mostly private for the past 12 years, he doesn't regret the story being so
public now. "We are very deliberate people. We have discussed that there is
going to be criticism," he said.

He said that all the support the family is receiving now is a testament to
his son's "grace."

"The way he sacrificed his life, that grace continues to shine. All these
words and events, and this public reception of us as his parents — this is
all under that grace of caring for others," Khan said.

Khan also addressed criticism that they shouldn't have used their son's
death to wade into politics. He said he thought about staying out of the
political conversation but ultimately felt that calling out Trump was worth
the "price" that he has had to pay:

"I would have such a burden on my conscience if I would have not spoken. In
the midst of the grief, we don't set our conscience aside. There are some
prices that must be paid. There are certain concerns and certain hearts
that must be touched regardless of the price," he said.

"Someday, and I'm a strong believer, that when we appear in front of our
God, I will have one thing to say about myself. That regardless of this, I
preferred to comfort a scared heart."
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