Enough time has passed since Ghazala and Khizr Khan’s moving appearance at the Democratic National Convention that some people may have forgotten about them. They are the grieving parents of Captain Humayun Khan, an American Muslim war hero who gave up his life in Iraq to save his unit from a suicide bomber. After Mr. Khan spoke movingly about his son and his family’s sacrifices, he waved his copy of a pocket-sized Constitution at Donald Trump and demanded to know what Trump has sacrificed for his country.
Trump retaliated by insulting and demeaning the Khans, insinuating that Mrs. Khan did not speak at the convention because perhaps as a Muslim woman she was not allowed to speak. His attacks horrified many in the Republican Party, with many calling it quits on Trump after he insulted this Gold Star family.
Given the chaos of this election, the Khans had faded into the background in the past few weeks. The Clinton campaign has just released an ad which ensures that until Election Day, nobody will forget about the Khans and their moving story again.
The ad opens with Mr. Khan looking at his son’s pictures and arranging the flag that was laid on his casket. There is a shot of the Khans tearfully watching a video of their son’s funeral. Mr. Khan states:
In 2004, my son was stationed in Iraq. He saw a suicide bomber approaching his camp. My son moved forward to stop the bomber when the bomb exploded. He saved everyone in his unit. Only one American soldier died. My son was Captain Humayun Khan. He was 27 years old, and he was a Muslim-American.
The ad ends with Khan asking, “Mr. Trump, would my son have a place in your America?”
Take a look for yourself:
Mr. Khan’s question to Donald Trump, asked in a tear-laden voice at the end, is profound. It’s a simple yet deeply poignant question not only for the Khans, but for all the American Muslims waiting for America to decide what kind of country this shall be.
The reaction to the ad was immediate and powerful.
I can't remember the last time a political ad made me cry. This one did. RIP Capt. Khan. American hero. https://t.co/NB2D20Rwms
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) October 21, 2016
This Khizr Khan ad for Hillary Clinton is incredibly powerful https://t.co/P4fjppVYC6. #StrongerTogether
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) October 21, 2016
Moving #HillaryClinton #khizrkhan RIP Capt. Khan. American hero. https://t.co/ZJgdHz94zL …
— Donald D'Haene (@TheDonaldNorth) October 21, 2016
This ad featuring Khizr Khan shows how Donald Trump creates his own worst enemies https://t.co/8GbfCrp1Zm
— Vox (@voxdotcom) October 21, 2016
This is devastating. If you had any lingering doubts about whether Trump is just a terrible person https://t.co/pUYKSAKBZD
— Mark Follman (@markfollman) October 21, 2016
If you haven't seen this Khizr Khan add, you need to.
https://t.co/2fk2Fsv5r7 pic.twitter.com/2mhx5l72Ox
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) October 21, 2016
