'Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution?' Khizr Khan asked Trump. 'I will gladly lend you my copy.'
Aug 01, 2016
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is handing out free, pocket-sized U.S. Constitutions to meet a rising demand after Khizr Khan, father of a Muslim-American soldier killed in action, offered to lend his copy to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in an electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention last week.
The ACLU announced on Friday that it would give away free copies until Election Day, November 8, stating in an email to supporters, "Don't get caught without the Constitution--everyone in the U.S. should know their rights."
"Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution?" Khan asked Trump during his speech on Thursday, pulling out a copy of his own as the audience erupted into applause. "I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words, look for the words, liberty and equal protection [under] law."
The Washington Post also reports Monday that since the speech aired, a $1 copy of the Constitution "printed by the nonpartisan National Center for Constitutional Studies became the second best-selling book on Amazon. It remains there today."
And Google searches for the document went up more than tenfold on Friday compared to last month's daily averages, the Post reported.
Army Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan was killed in action in Iraq in 2004. At the convention, Khan stood onstage with his wife Ghazala and addressed Trump in one of the week's key moments, asking, "Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
"If it was up to Donald Trump, [my son] never would have been in America," Khan said. "Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, and even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country."
His speech came just minutes after Trump defended his support of torturing terror suspects and plans to use waterboarding against detainees if elected president.
Over the weekend, Trump responded with his traditionally aggressive rhetoric, writing on Twitter that Khan "viciously attacked" him and tellingABC News that he's "made a lot of sacrifices."
The remarks drew criticism from GOP leaders and other prominent members of the party. Meanwhile, the Khan family toldCNN on Monday that they are "private people" not seeking a confrontation with Trump.
"We want to be out of this controversy," Khan said.
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Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is handing out free, pocket-sized U.S. Constitutions to meet a rising demand after Khizr Khan, father of a Muslim-American soldier killed in action, offered to lend his copy to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in an electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention last week.
The ACLU announced on Friday that it would give away free copies until Election Day, November 8, stating in an email to supporters, "Don't get caught without the Constitution--everyone in the U.S. should know their rights."
"Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution?" Khan asked Trump during his speech on Thursday, pulling out a copy of his own as the audience erupted into applause. "I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words, look for the words, liberty and equal protection [under] law."
The Washington Post also reports Monday that since the speech aired, a $1 copy of the Constitution "printed by the nonpartisan National Center for Constitutional Studies became the second best-selling book on Amazon. It remains there today."
And Google searches for the document went up more than tenfold on Friday compared to last month's daily averages, the Post reported.
Army Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan was killed in action in Iraq in 2004. At the convention, Khan stood onstage with his wife Ghazala and addressed Trump in one of the week's key moments, asking, "Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
"If it was up to Donald Trump, [my son] never would have been in America," Khan said. "Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, and even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country."
His speech came just minutes after Trump defended his support of torturing terror suspects and plans to use waterboarding against detainees if elected president.
Over the weekend, Trump responded with his traditionally aggressive rhetoric, writing on Twitter that Khan "viciously attacked" him and tellingABC News that he's "made a lot of sacrifices."
The remarks drew criticism from GOP leaders and other prominent members of the party. Meanwhile, the Khan family toldCNN on Monday that they are "private people" not seeking a confrontation with Trump.
"We want to be out of this controversy," Khan said.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is handing out free, pocket-sized U.S. Constitutions to meet a rising demand after Khizr Khan, father of a Muslim-American soldier killed in action, offered to lend his copy to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in an electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention last week.
The ACLU announced on Friday that it would give away free copies until Election Day, November 8, stating in an email to supporters, "Don't get caught without the Constitution--everyone in the U.S. should know their rights."
"Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution?" Khan asked Trump during his speech on Thursday, pulling out a copy of his own as the audience erupted into applause. "I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words, look for the words, liberty and equal protection [under] law."
The Washington Post also reports Monday that since the speech aired, a $1 copy of the Constitution "printed by the nonpartisan National Center for Constitutional Studies became the second best-selling book on Amazon. It remains there today."
And Google searches for the document went up more than tenfold on Friday compared to last month's daily averages, the Post reported.
Army Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan was killed in action in Iraq in 2004. At the convention, Khan stood onstage with his wife Ghazala and addressed Trump in one of the week's key moments, asking, "Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
"If it was up to Donald Trump, [my son] never would have been in America," Khan said. "Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, and even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country."
His speech came just minutes after Trump defended his support of torturing terror suspects and plans to use waterboarding against detainees if elected president.
Over the weekend, Trump responded with his traditionally aggressive rhetoric, writing on Twitter that Khan "viciously attacked" him and tellingABC News that he's "made a lot of sacrifices."
The remarks drew criticism from GOP leaders and other prominent members of the party. Meanwhile, the Khan family toldCNN on Monday that they are "private people" not seeking a confrontation with Trump.
"We want to be out of this controversy," Khan said.
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