Watch NZH Focus: The parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq have said Donald Trump has a “black soul” and is unfit for the White House.
The grief-stricken mother of a slain American Muslim soldier has penned a powerful rebuke after being insulted by Donald Trump.
Ghazala Khan stood beside her husband Khizr Khan when he electrified the Democratic convention last week with a tribute to their fallen son that ended with a steely rebuke that Trump had "sacrificed nothing" for his country.
The billionaire later insisted he had made "a lot of sacrifices", while suggesting that Mrs Khan was not allowed to speak by her husband.
"I'd like to hear his wife say something," the Republican presidential nominee told a New York Times reporter, sparking outrage and mockery.
Now, in a powerful open letter published by the Washington Post, Mrs Khan revealed she was too heartbroken to speak about her beloved son, Humayun Khan, an Army captain who was killed in a roadside explosion at a military compound in Iraq in 2004.
"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," Mrs Khan wrote.
Mrs Khan also hit back at Trump's claim that she wasn't allowed to speak on stage.
Khizr and Ghazala Khan appear on stage at the Democratic National Convention. Photo / AP
"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," she wrote.
"When Donald Trump is talking about Islam, he is ignorant. If he studied the real Islam and Koran, all the ideas he gets from terrorists would change, because terrorism is a different religion. Donald Trump said he has made a lot of sacrifices. He doesn't know what the word sacrifice means."
Mrs Khan's powerful message comes after Trump lashed out at her husband, who accused the New York businessman of sacrificing nothing for his country.
"Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America," Mr Khan said to Trump in his fiery DNC speech. "You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
Trump brushed off Mr Khan's words in an interview with ABC News in the US, stating that he thinks he has made "a lot of sacrifices".
"I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard," he said. "I've created thousands and thousands of jobs - tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot."
DONALD TRUMP MOCKED ON TWITTER
Trump's tone-deaf response has been mocked mercilessly on Twitter, with the hashtag #TrumpSacrifices going viral.
Actors including Don Cheadle and Patricia Arquette lambasted the perceived suffering endured by the billionaire, while senior Republicans slammed his comments.
Trump has courted controversy and sparked outrage during his drive for the US presidency with disparaging remarks against immigrants, Muslims and women.
His call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the US has drawn criticism even from leaders of his own party.
Once survived an entire weekend at Mar-a-Lago with just one can of hairspray. #TrumpSacrifices
"He is a black soul. And this is totally unfit for the leadership of this beautiful country," Mr Khan said.
He also told ABC News in the US said that running for president does not entitle the billionaire property developer "to disrespect" the relatives of soldiers killed in combat.
"Shame on him! Shame on his family!" Mr Kahn said. "He is not worthy of our comments. He has no decency. He is void of decency, he has a dark heart."
I was viciously attacked by Mr. Khan at the Democratic Convention. Am I not allowed to respond? Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me!
Islamic State has branded the late Captain Humayun Khan an "apostate", a person who has abandoned their religion, in its online magazine Dabiq.
The terrorist group showed a picture of Khan's tombstone in Arlington National Cemetery with a caption, "Beware of Dying as an apostate".
An accompanying article, penned by an unnamed "American convert in the Islamic State", urged Muslims to resist Western influences and to either migrate to Islamic State-controlled lands or carry out lone attacks.
