Khizr Khan is coming to UVA tomorrow
Khan is now known for his famous DNC speech about his son— the fallen Muslim-American soldier and UVA grad
On Tuesday Nov. 1st, Khizr Khan will share his journey and his message with the UVA community in a discussion-style event at 6:30pm in Old Cabell Hall.
Khizr Khan has become a key political figure in the Clinton campaign after delivering a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention about his son, a fallen Muslim-American soldier. What began as the story of Khizr Khan’s son, Humayun, soon turned into a declaration of American values and what Mr. Khan believes we, as a nation, should stand for. He went on to criticize Donald Trump’s immigration policies, ending his speech by asking the Republican candidate, “Have you even read the Constitution?” A question Khan answered for himself by pulling out his pocket version of the document, and adding “I will gladly lend you my copy.”
Khizr Khan and his wife, Ghazala, during his DNC speech
The speech was poignant and admirable, but those final sentences and that simple gesture of extending a small pocket Constitution effectively pushed back on Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and catapulted Khizr Khan and his wife, Ghazala, into the national spotlight.
Yet before that night in late July, before Khan and his wife stepped onto the DNC stage to share their story of heartbreak, frustration, and most importantly, pride, they were just your ordinary residents of Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Khans’ ties to our community, however, do not end there. Their son, Humayun, who served as the inspiration for his father’s DNC speech, was a UVA graduate.
U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan
Humayun Khan was an active member of the ROTC and graduated from the University in 2000, joining the Army shortly after college. He was expected to attend law school after his service in order to pursue a career as a military attorney, but his dreams were cut short just four years later. Humayun, a Captain in the U.S. Army, was killed by a suicide bomber on June 8, 2004 while serving in Iraq.
Humayun’s presence can still be felt on grounds. There is a room dedicated to him at the University’s Army ROTC headquarters and the Capt. Humayun S. Khan Scholar-Soldier-Statesman Award was created in his honor. He has been heralded as a courageous soldier and a great man.
Twelve years after his death, Humayun’s story has taken on an even greater meaning. It has become a message to not only Muslim-Americans, but to all immigrants: that they are American, and that they belong.
Life for the Khans has changed after the DNC. They have faced public backlash, gotten hate mail and Mr. Khan has even had to shut down his law firm’s website in fear of being hacked.
Yet, the spotlight has not deterred the Khans from delivering their message, which they most recently did in a new campaign ad for Hillary Clinton.
Khizr Khan holding the American flag in the new ad for Hillary Clinton
Regardless of your party affiliation, come to hear a different perspective, to further engage in the political process and of course, to honor a fellow Cavalier’s sacrifices.
Humayun Khan’s grave stone with its Islamic crescent and Purple Heart inscription at Arlington National Cemetery
Check out the Facebook event for more details.