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Khizr Khan

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Attorney

The Resume

    (1950- )
    Born in Gujranwala (Punjab), Pakistan
    Khizr Muazzam Kahn
    Married Ghazala Khan, in 1974
    Father of US Army Captain Humayun Khan (1976 - 2004)
    Attorney for the Washington D.C. firm of Hogan & Hartson (2000 - 2007)
    Son was killed in combat during the Iraq War after a 2004 suicide bombing; was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star
    Came to national attention after speaking at the Democratic National Convention, criticizing then-candidate Donald Trump (Jul. 2016); speech prompted an angry rebuke from Trump on Twitter, resulting in widespread backlash
    Featured in the HBO documentary 'Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery' (2008)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was accused of politicizing his son's death as a means of attacking Donald Trump.
    He was accused of having vested financial ties with the Clinton Foundation through his law firms.
    He was accused of being a Sharia Law-proponent despite waving a pocket Constitution from the podium.
    He was accused of being a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer (although his actual ties to the group were more benign than sinister like the Right would contend).
    Trump was attacked for responding to him, but given his propensity for personally attacks on his opponents, his tweets were fairly civil.
    Select commentators on the Right faulted him with not allowing his wife (who stood next to him silently though out his speech) to take to the podium to speak about her son, some implying that it was reflective of his pro-Sharia views.
    Some also pointed to the media's abrasive reaction to Benghazi victim mother Pat Smith's nearly identical speech at the RNC weeks prior, indicating a political double standard held regarding Gold Star families.
    In that same vein, they pointed out that between the two, only Mrs. Smith could claim that one of the candidates had any shared responsibility in her child's fate (but there was a non-reaction when Mrs. Clinton publicly repeatedly indicated she was confused and/or lying).
    He chose to support Mrs. Clinton even though - as a Senator - she had voted for the very conflict which his son had died in (whereas Trump's support of the war amounted to a few vague pronunciations).
    He cancelled a speech he was slated to give in Toronto, claiming that his 'travel privileges' came under review; Canada's Immigration Board later had to come to publicly deny that any such review was taking place (May 2017).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was born the eldest of ten children.
    He earned a degree from Harvard Law School, in 1986 (he and his wife became an American citizens that same year).
    Snopes rated the 'Muslim Brotherhood Agent' charge to be 'unproven.'
    Very few (if any) public figures debating the Trump-Khan issue disputed the notion that his son was a true American hero.
    His speech was considered one of the highlights of the Democratic National Convention.
    His speech resulted in a spike in both pocket Constitution sales and Google searches for 'Register to Vote.'
    His wife penned an article asserting that she was offered a chance to speak but was too overcome with grief and emotion.
    Ann Coulter came under fire after mockingly tweeting: 'You know what this convention really needed? A angry Muslim with a thick accent like Fareed Zakaria.'
    His speech may have played a role in then-head campaign spokesperson Katrina Pierson being downgraded after suggesting that his son had died during Obama's term in office, only to learn his death occurred in 2004.
    After Donald Trump won the Presidency, he commented: 'This nation needs to move forward and move forward together, not divided. That is his responsibility now to bring us all together and move us all forward without division.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 81 Votes: 61.73% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 30 Votes: 93.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 222 Votes: 73.87% Annoying