Khizr Khan's Challenges to Donald Trump
In one of the most remarkable and powerful speeches to a political convention I've ever seen and heard, Khizr Khan, a Muslim-American immigrant, and father of Humayun Khan, a U.S. Army officer killed in Iraq in 2004,* spoke to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Republican Donald Trump's earlier call for a ban on immigration from Muslim countries was met with opposition, even by some leaders of the Republican Party. Mr. Khan pointed out, that if Trump's policy had been in effect, his son would not have even been allowed into the United States. Mr. Khan told of how, as immigrants to the United States, they had come here with nothing, but that they had worked hard to improve their lives and to contribute to the country. He stated they felt "blessed" to raise their three sons here, a country where they were free to be themselves. Then came an absolutely devastating minute or so, as Mr. Khan, his wife Ghazala by his side, asked if Republican nominee Donald Trump had "even read the United States Constitution." Then, reaching into his jacket pocket, Mr. Khan pulled out a copy of the Constitution and offered it to Donald Trump. In it, Mr. Khan said, Mr. Trump would find the words "liberty" and "equal protection of law." He asked further if Donald Trump had ever been to Arlington National Cemetery, where he would see that the military personnel buried there came from all backgrounds. Then in a serious rebuke to billionaire Donald Trump, a man who has spent his life accumulating great wealth, Mr. Khan said, "You have sacrificed nothing ... and no one!"
It left me speechless, but there is nothing more to say, so I'll leave things right here.
* Humayun Khan held the rank of captain in a unit of the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
WORD HISTORY:
Ban-This word has both a noun and verb form from the same source. The verb goes back to Indo European "bhah," with the notion of "to say openly, to speak out." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "bannanan," with that same meaning, but also, "seemingly" from the notion of "speaking or calling out threats," "to put a curse on for some action;" thus also by extension, "to forbid." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "bannan," with the meaning, "to call out, to proclaim, to give an order or orders." This then became "bannen," before the modern verb form. Other Germanic forms: German "bannen" (to drive out, to banish), Dutch and Low German Saxon "bannen" (to drive out or drive off), West Frisian "banne" (to exile, to banish), Danish "bande" (to curse, to swear), Norwegian "banne" (to curse, to swear), Icelandic "banna" (to forbid, to prohibit, to ban) and Swedish "banna" (to scold). The meaning in English of, "to prohibit, to bar," seems to have come from Old Norse "banna," in the 1300s, part of the meaning of which was "to prohibit, to ban." Old Norse, an old form of North Germanic, was brought to parts of northern and eastern England by the "Danes;" actually a collective term for North Germanic speakers who settled, often by force, in parts of England; thus bringing a reinforcing shot of Germanic words to the Germanic base of English already established in England. The noun form goes back to the same Indo European origin and Old Germanic verb, which then gave Old English the noun "gebann" (later, just "bann"), which meant, "proclamation, edict." The later meaning of "prohibition, something forbidden," seems to come from that meaning added to the verb form by Old Norse. Further, the form "banns" meant, "a public proclamation of a wedding to be held." By the way, the French word "ban," meaning "fanfare, proclamation, summons by bugle," was borrowed from Frankish, a Germanic language. German has the noun "Bann," meaning "a curse or spell put onto someone," also in religion, "excommunication." The Nazis also revived the noun "Bann" for battalion sized units of their party paramilitary (later fully militarized) forces in the SS and SA (Sturmabteilung, better known to English speakers as "Stormtroopers"). This came from the notion from times past of "proclamation calling men to military service." Thus they also used "Bann" in compounds for certain SS and SA ranks.
It left me speechless, but there is nothing more to say, so I'll leave things right here.
* Humayun Khan held the rank of captain in a unit of the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
WORD HISTORY:
Ban-This word has both a noun and verb form from the same source. The verb goes back to Indo European "bhah," with the notion of "to say openly, to speak out." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "bannanan," with that same meaning, but also, "seemingly" from the notion of "speaking or calling out threats," "to put a curse on for some action;" thus also by extension, "to forbid." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "bannan," with the meaning, "to call out, to proclaim, to give an order or orders." This then became "bannen," before the modern verb form. Other Germanic forms: German "bannen" (to drive out, to banish), Dutch and Low German Saxon "bannen" (to drive out or drive off), West Frisian "banne" (to exile, to banish), Danish "bande" (to curse, to swear), Norwegian "banne" (to curse, to swear), Icelandic "banna" (to forbid, to prohibit, to ban) and Swedish "banna" (to scold). The meaning in English of, "to prohibit, to bar," seems to have come from Old Norse "banna," in the 1300s, part of the meaning of which was "to prohibit, to ban." Old Norse, an old form of North Germanic, was brought to parts of northern and eastern England by the "Danes;" actually a collective term for North Germanic speakers who settled, often by force, in parts of England; thus bringing a reinforcing shot of Germanic words to the Germanic base of English already established in England. The noun form goes back to the same Indo European origin and Old Germanic verb, which then gave Old English the noun "gebann" (later, just "bann"), which meant, "proclamation, edict." The later meaning of "prohibition, something forbidden," seems to come from that meaning added to the verb form by Old Norse. Further, the form "banns" meant, "a public proclamation of a wedding to be held." By the way, the French word "ban," meaning "fanfare, proclamation, summons by bugle," was borrowed from Frankish, a Germanic language. German has the noun "Bann," meaning "a curse or spell put onto someone," also in religion, "excommunication." The Nazis also revived the noun "Bann" for battalion sized units of their party paramilitary (later fully militarized) forces in the SS and SA (Sturmabteilung, better known to English speakers as "Stormtroopers"). This came from the notion from times past of "proclamation calling men to military service." Thus they also used "Bann" in compounds for certain SS and SA ranks.
Labels: Arlington Cemetery, Constitution, Democratic National Convention, Donald Trump, English, etymology, Germanic languages, Humayun Khan, Khizr Khan, Muslim Americans, Muslims
posted by Randy at 3:38 PM
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