When Khizr and Ghazala Khan took the DNC by storm, calling out Donald Trump’s imbecilic Islamophobic comments, the Donald struck back… with more imbecility. And Muslim women weren’t having it.
To recap, the Khans are a Gold Star family whose son, Humayun, died in service to the country, and who spoke at the DNC to repudiate Trump’s constitutionally and morally debased platforms. Khizr Khan said Trump’s “policy, his practices, do not reflect that he has any understanding of the basic, fundamental constitutional principles of this country.” He later added “two things are absolutely necessary in any leader or any person who aspires, wishes, to be a leader. That is moral compass and second is empathy,” which he claims Trump lacks. (I would add that that seems like a very fair assessment to me.)
To which Trump, in true Trumpian fashion, then responded (regarding Ghazala Khan’s silence on stage at the DNC): “She probably — maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”
And so Muslim women did. Ghazala Khan herself was the first to call out Drumpf on his ridiculous remark, writing in a powerful Washington Post op-ed (because she’s amazing):
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…
I cannot walk into a room with pictures of Humayun. For all these years, I haven’t been able to clean the closet where his things are — I had to ask my daughter-in-law to do it. Walking onto the convention stage, with a huge picture of my son behind me, I could hardly control myself. What mother could? Donald Trump has children whom he loves. Does he really need to wonder why I did not speak?
Donald Trump said that maybe I wasn’t allowed to say anything. That is not true. My husband asked me if I wanted to speak, but I told him I could not. My religion teaches me that all human beings are equal in God’s eyes. Husband and wife are part of each other; you should love and respect each other so you can take care of the family.
But Muslim women across the nation were quick to call out the ridiculousness of the Republican nominee’s (I still throw up in my mouth a little when I write that) statement, championing the hashtag #CanYouHearUsNow. (And when that set social media ablaze, it was quickly joined by #DontMessWithMuslimWomen, which I particularly enjoy.)
Here are 10 delightful tweets which take down Donald Trump’s comments with grace, aplomb, and scathing wit:
https://twitter.com/hannahalkadi/status/760113527394799616
https://twitter.com/almmura/status/760138353962463232
https://twitter.com/muslimgirl/status/760124241106919424
https://twitter.com/Rowaida_Abdel/status/760119617104842753
https://twitter.com/sumrawrealities/status/760118200445132800
https://twitter.com/TheKRasheed/status/760227794660065280
https://twitter.com/MalikaDee33/status/760111371463880704/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/RimSarah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/ssnaqi/status/760097657826242560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/maryam_amire/status/760197615463964672
And for the sake of everyone’s collective amusement, enjoy also this wonderful tweet:
And let me just add my two cents, Mr. Drumpf: Your narrow definition of Islam and of Muslim women fills me with disgust. I won’t let you or anyone else silence me. In fact, I have a strong tendency to yammer on, which I will continue to exercise to call out your imbecility. Hope you heard that, you xenophobic orange tyrant.
Note: After the outrage, The Donald has since doubled down on his comments, thinking apologies beneath him and unwarranted. Probably because they require the capacity for compassion and empathy, which he clearly seems to lack.