Gold Star Father Khizr Khan Speaks on Trump's Travel Ban, Executive Orders

Khan says travel ban has contributed to a new fertile ground in certain Muslim countries for further recruitment for terror groups

Gold Star father Khizr Khan spoke at the Kennedy School of Government and Politics at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Wednesday night.

Khan, who gained national attention for criticizing then presidential candidate Donald Trump at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, addressed Trump's recent travel ban and executive orders on immigration. He spoke for an hour to about a hundred people and answered questions from the audience.

Khan is the man who has stood up for the Muslim American community and who has shared his story about his son who was a captain in the United States Army. Humayun Khan was killed in 2004 while trying to stop a suicide bomber during the Iraq War.

Wednesday, Khan not only talked about his son, but listed reasons why he thinks the travel ban and executive orders by the president don't work.

"Most of the Muslim community in the country feels alienated. When a community feels alienated it doesn't take a scholar to figure it out the bad, those who wish us bad, to infiltrate the community," Khan said.

Khan went on to say that the travel ban has now contributed to a new fertile ground in certain Muslim countries for further recruitment for terror groups.

But Kahn also gave a message of hope and asked Muslim communities to reach out to other faiths.

"When you assimilate — after all by choice we are Americans nobody forced us to be here — when you adopt this as your country and you're ready to defend it, it and it's values you're much more powerful much more impactful," Khan said.

Khan told the auditorium he was inspired by a 26 page letter from a retired World War II army nurse who told him to never stop speaking out and doing what he does.

Contact Us