Khizr Khan, a Pakistani-American whose Army son was killed serving in the Iraq War, urged those who oppose President Trump and the administration’s policies to protest peacefully or risk inciting a federal response.
“I humbly request to the future leaders of this country and future leaders sitting here of the world … Remain standing. Your voice will be heard here. Your voice is being – the rest of the world stands with you. Remain peaceful,” Khan Khan told MSNBC host Chris Matthews at a town hall on Thursday evening.
“My request, my humble advice to my sons and daughters and brothers and sisters is remain peaceful. They will entice, they will incite violence so that they can claim then that we have to deal with it with force,” Khan said.
Khan, who garnered national attention for rebuking Trump at the Democratic National Convention last year, said he was “disappointed” by Trump’s executive action last week temporarily suspending immigration from seven countries that have ties to terrorism.
“I was hoping that election rhetoric – divisive rhetoric will end after the elections and the party – the Republican party and their candidate will move on … to this country, bringing it together but seeds of division were sowed,” Khan told attendees at American University in Washington, D.C.
Khan said he is worried about the U.S. because recent events have left the domestic Muslim community feeling “alienated.” He also said he is concerned about those serving overseas in the armed forces and whether they are “properly protected,” though Khan did not go into detail about this second concern.
