In the midst of one of America’s most turbulent political elections, there lies the Republican presidential candidate, a megalomaniac and pathological egotist holding the ambiguous claim that he alone can solve the problems that plague this country. Ah yes, Donald Trump, the epitome of parochialism and intolerance, someone who built his campaign by breaking others down. This wild-haired sociopathic narcissist who sparks controversy with practically every sentence that leaves his mouth has made headlines again with his recent comments about Ghazala Khan.
At the Democratic National Convention last week, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslim parents of the fallen Captain Hamayun Khan took the stage to deliver a poignant speech about their son, a soldier who died in Baghdad, Iraq after a vehicle packed with an explosive device drove into the gate of his compound. Mr.Khan spoke while his wife stayed silent by his side, visibly overcome with grief. Trump’s divisive rhetoric was criticized and challenged when Mr. Khan asked if Trump has read the United States Constitution. He shouts, “You sacrificed nothing…and no one!” This was easily one of the most powerful moments of the convention.
But of course, Trump had a response of its own, one of which brought a nuance to his omnipresent bigotry, reflecting his true interpretation of what Islam embodies.
“If you look at his wife, she was standing there,” he said on national television during an ABC interview. “She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”
This is disgusting and disgraceful. It is indisputable that he was insinuating that Muslim women are forbidden to speak because of their religion. This woman, who broke down sobbing during an interview with MSNBC because her son came back to her a fallen hero, is who Trump decided to slander. It is almost no longer surprising that he holds such blatant prejudice in his mind, especially since he plans to implement a policy in which Muslims are banned from entering the country.
But Ghazala did not let this matter go easily and quickly responded back in the Washington Post. “Donald Trump has asked why I did not speak at the Democratic convention. He said he would like to hear from me. Here is my answer to Donald Trump: Because without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain. I am a Gold Star mother. Whoever saw me felt me in their heart.” This was true, it seems as though almost everyone in America could feel and empathize with her anguish except for Trump. It is pretty ironic how Trump supporters are always quick to confess their unconditional and undying support for the military but when it comes to this specific case of a fallen Muslim soldier and his brokenhearted family, they seem to be silent, siding with their leader’s bigotry.
If Trump wants to hold senseless perceptions of Muslim women, let us talk facts. Islam does not in any way oppress women. According to a 2009 study by Gallup, Muslim American women are not only more educated than Muslim women in Western Europe, but are also more educated than the average American. Muslim women report incomes closer to their male counterparts than American women of any other religion. As documented by the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, Muslim women are leading the struggle for change through their scholarship, civic engagement, education, advocacy and activism all around the world.
For these reasons and many more, Trump’s remarks spawned the Twitter hashtag #CanYouHearUsNow yesterday, with American Muslim women firing back about his innuendo about the suppression of women’s speech under Islam. It shows that Muslim women can both empower and be empowering even in the face of the adversity and injustices they may face.
Donald Trump has given hatred a home through the narrow-minded ideologies he promotes and through the man he is. Or perhaps, through the man he is not. He continues to cross lines and attack marginalized groups, including the Muslim community. He owes the Khan family a sincere apology, one of which it is not likely he will give for the simple fact that his ego is much greater than any shred of morality he has left in him. Let me say this to Trump, you may perceive Muslim women to be voiceless but it is truly ironic how you plan to make America great again without realizing that the voices of Muslim women are greater than you will ever be.
