WASHINGTON: Before Hillary Clinton accepted her nomination, the Clinton campaign brought on the stage a grieving Pakistani father of an American soldier to promote their message of unity and inclusiveness.

Pakistan-born Khizr Khan’s son, Capt. Humayun Khan died in Iraq in 2004 when a car loaded with explosives blew up at his compound. He was 27.

“Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery?” Mr Khan asked Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who wants to create a separate, religious database for all American Muslims.

“Go look at the graves of brave Americans who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing,” said Mr Khan.

Although just one per cent of the total US population; Muslims have become a major issue in this year’s presidential election. Although there are many who want to isolate the Muslims living in this country, Mr Trump leads the camp.

Yet, at last week’s Republican convention, he also brought a Pakistani-Muslim, Sajid Tarar, on the stage to prove that some Muslims support him as well. But while Mr Tarar had to face boos and catcalls from a section of the crowd, Mr Khan, who addressed the Democratic convention on Thursday night, received rapturous applause from the entire crowd.

Mr Khan, who moved to the United States in 1980, said he and his wife were “patriotic American Muslims with undivided loyalty to our country.”

“If it was up to Donald Trump, [Humayun] never would have been in America,” Mr. Khan said. “Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims (and) vows to … ban us from this country.”

Addressing the cheering crowd, he declared: “We are honoured to stand here as the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan.”

Mr Khan recalled how Hillary Clinton had referred to his son as “the best of America.”

When Mrs Clinton came on the stage, she reminded Mr Trump, that a “president should respect the men and women who risk their lives to serve our country — including Captain Khan.”

She said that if elected, she would not do what Mr Trump pledges to do. “We will not ban a religion. We will work with all Americans and our allies to fight and defeat terrorism.”

But the emotions of a slain soldier’s parents had little impact on Mr Trump who responded to the gesture and Mrs Clinton speech with a bunch of tweets about ‘radical Islam.’

“Our way of life is under threat by Radical Islam and Hillary Clinton cannot even bring herself to say the words,” he wrote.

‘Hillary’s refusal to mention Radical Islam, as she pushes a 55pc increase in refugees, is more proof that she is unfit to lead the country.”

The Washington Post pointed out that when Mr Khan and his wife walked up to the microphone at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Mr Trump was speaking at an event in Iowa, complaining that America was not allowed to waterboard terrorists, Mrs Clinton’s acceptance speech, however, focused on the historic significance of the event, the nomination of the first woman to lead a presidential ticket.

“It is with humility, determination, and boundless confidence in America’s promise, that I accept your nomination for President of the United States,” she said.

“Standing here as my mother’s daughter, and my daughter’s mother, I’m so happy this day has come,” she said, clearly fighting to curb her emotions. “Happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between.”

She said her nomination as the first woman presidential candidate also opens new venues for those “boys and men” could not think of running for the highest office.

“When any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.”

Watching Mrs Clinton accept the nomination moved women across the United States who took to the social media to share their feelings.

“I did not realise how much this moment meant to me as a woman until right now,” tweeted Ashley Esqueda.

“Hillary looked at Chelsea like my mom looks at me and then I started crying,” wrote Erin Gloria Ryan When I was in 3rd grade a boy told me only men could be president. No little girl will ever hear that again,” Kaye Toal tweeted.

Speaking on the final night of the party’s convention in Philadelphia, the first woman nominated by a major party said this was a “moment of reckoning” but there were huge challenges ahead. “Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart,” she said.

Mrs Clinton accused her Republican opponent, Mr Trump, of sowing discord.

“He wants to divide us — from the rest of the world, and from each other.”

Mrs Clinton also promised millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States that Mr Trumps wants to deport. “We’ll build a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants who are already contributing to our economy,” she said.

Mr Trump quickly rejected the proposal. “Hillary’s vision is a borderless world where working people have no power, no jobs, no safety,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016